Today we celebrate the start of the new season with a look at three terms associated with this time of year.

It's easy to understand how this season came to be known as fall; after all, this is the time of year that leaves fall from the trees. Back in the 16th century, the season was known as fall of the leafe; the phrase didn't lose its of the leafe wording until the early 18th century.

The word autumn, which comes from the Latin name for the season, is a bit older than fall; that term dates back to the 14th century. Does that mean that the season was nameless before then? Hardly. Before autumn entered the language, this time of year was known as Harvest, the season for gathering in agricultural crops.

By the way, although most English speakers in the Northern Hemisphere consider autumn to be the period between the autumnal equinox and the winter solstice, don't assume that's the word's only meaning. In British English, autumn also is applied to the season comprising the months of August, September, and October.

What about Indian summer, that period of warm or mild weather in late autumn or early winter? That term originated in New England and probably comes from the Native American practice of gathering winter stores during this unseasonably warm weather. The British also call that period of late, dry weather is All-Halloween summer or Old Wives' summer.

Send us your queries, autumnal or otherwise.  Our e-mail address is wftw@aol.com.  Our street address is Word for the Wise, 318 Central Avenue, Albany, New York 12206. 

Shawn Dudley is our audio engineer. Production and research support for Word for the Wise comes from Merriam-Webster, publisher of language reference books and CD's including Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Tenth Edition.