Advertisement

Origin and history of summer

summer(n.1)

"hot season of the year," Middle English somer, from Old English sumor "summer," from Proto-Germanic *sumra- (source also of Old Saxon, Old Norse, Old High German sumar, Old Frisian sumur, Middle Dutch somer, Dutch zomer, German Sommer). This is from PIE root *sm- "summer" (source also of Sanskrit sama "season, half-year," Avestan hama "in summer," Armenian amarn "summer," Old Irish sam, Old Welsh ham, Welsh haf "summer").

The meaning "age in years" (counted by summers) is by c. 1300. As an adjective from c. 1300, "of or pertaining to summer." Figuratively, "lasting only as long as pleasure or prosperity does," by 1590s.

Summer resort is attested from 1797; summer- as a general modifier in reference to people who visit a place only during the summer is by 1886. The theatrical summer stock is attested from 1941 (see stock (n.2)), originally especially of companies organized for summer resorts.

Summer camp as an institution for youth is attested from 1886; summer school first recorded 1810; theatrical The U.S. Southern summer kitchen, away from the house, is so called by 1832.

A summer's day as "a very long day" is by c. 1300. Old Norse sumarsdag, first day of summer, was the Thursday that fell between April 9 and 15.

summer(n.2)

"horizontal bearing-beam," late 13c., somer, from Anglo-French sumer, Old French somier "main beam," originally "pack horse," from Vulgar Latin *saumarius, from Late Latin sagmarius "pack horse," from sagma "packsaddle" (see sumpter). Also in Middle English "pack horse" (c. 1300).

summer(v.)

"pass the summer, reside during the summer," mid-15c., someren, from summer (n.1). Related: Summered; summering.

summer(n.3)

"one who adds," 1610s, agent noun from sum (v.).

also from 1610s

Entries linking to summer

stock(n.2)

early 15c., "supply for future use; collective wealth;" mid-15c., "sum of money set aside for a specific purpose;" Middle English developments of stock (n.1), but the ultimate sense connection is uncertain. Perhaps the notion is of the "trunk" from which gains are an outgrowth, or from stock (n.1) in obsolete sense of "money-box" (c. 1400). Probably several different lines of development are represented here.

The meaning "subscribed capital of a corporation" is from 1610s. The figurative phrase take stock in "repose confidence in, regard as important" is from 1870, from the notion of investment.

In stock "in the possession of a trader" is from 1610s. The meaning "broth made by boiling meat" is from 1764. As "raw material from which anything is made," 1873, especially in reference to paper.

Theatrical use, in reference to a company regularly acting together at a given theater, performing recurring types, or staging a fixed set of plays, is attested from 1708, from the notion of something habitually produced or used. 

Taking stock "making an inventory" is attested from 1736. One's stock in trade in a literal sense was "goods kept on hand by a dealer or storekeeper" (1760s) with figurative use by 1784.

As the collective term for the movable property of a farm, especially horses, cattle, sheep, and other useful animals, it is recorded from 1510s; hence livestock, stockyard. "The application to cattle is primarily a specific use of the sense 'store', but the notion of 'race' or 'breed' ... has had some share in its development" [OED].

sum(v.)

early 14c., sommen, "to count (things, people), count up, calculate, combine into a total," from Old French sommer "to count, add up," or directly from Medieval Latin summare, from summa (see sum (n.)).

The meaning "briefly state the substance of" is recorded by 1620s (since c. 1700 usually with up). Related: Summed; summing.

Advertisement

Trends of summer

adapted from books.google.com/ngrams/ with a 7-year moving average; ngrams are probably unreliable.

More to explore

sumpter
c. 1300, sompter, "driver of a pack horse," from Old French sommetier "pack-horse driver," from Vulgar Latin *sagmatarius "a pack horse driver," from Late Latin sagmat- "a pack, burden," stem of sagma "packsaddle," a borrowing of Greek sagma "coat, cloak; packsaddle." The Greek w
gossamer
c. 1300, "filmy substance (actually spider threads) found in fields of stubble in late fall," apparently from gos "goose" (see goose (n.)) + sumer "summer" (see summer (n.)). Blount (1656) has it as gossymeare or gossomor "the white and cobweb-like exhalations, which fly abroad i
midsummer
"the middle of summer, the period of the summer solstice," Old English midsumor, from mid (adj.) + sumor "summer" (see summer (n.1)). Midsummer Day, an English quarter-day, was June 24 (Feast of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist). Astronomically, midsummer falls on June 21, bu
autumn
season after summer and before winter, late 14c., autumpne (modern form from 16c.), from Old French autumpne, automne (13c...De Vaan writes, "Although 'summer', 'winter' and 'spring' are inherited IE words in Latin, a foreign origin of autumnus is...Many "autumn" words mean "end, end of summer," or "harvest."...Compare Greek phthinoporon "waning of summer;" Lithuanian ruduo "autumn," from rudas "reddish," in reference to leaves; Old...
lethal
If so, related to Old Church Slavonic leto "summer, year" (from notion of "going"), Russian leto "summer," (pl.)...
dog days
"period of dry, hot weather at the height of summer," 1530s, from Latin dies caniculares, the idea, though not the phrase...has shifted down the calendar with the precession of the equinoxes; in ancient Egypt c. 3000 B.C.E. it coincided with the summer...
Ramadan
the Islamic lunar calendar, it passes through all seasons in a cycle of about 33 years, but evidently originally it was a summer...
pass
late 13c., passen (transitive), "to go by (something)," also "to cross over," from Old French passer "to pass" (11c.), from Vulgar Latin *passare "to step, walk, pass" (source also of Spanish pasar, Italian passare), from Latin passus "step, pace" (from PIE root *pete- "to spread
season
c. 1300, sesoun, seson, "a period of the year," with reference to weather or work, also "proper time, suitable occasion," from Old French seison, seson, saison "season, date; right moment, appropriate time" (Modern French saison) "a sowing, planting," from Latin sationem (nominat
spend
"to pay out or away, deprive oneself of" (money, wealth), Middle English spenden, from Old English -spendan (in forspendan "use up"), from Medieval Latin spendere, a shortening of Latin expendere "to weigh out money, pay down" (see expend) or possibly of dispendere "to pay out" (

Share summer

Advertisement
Trending
Dictionary entries near summer
Advertisement