The Language of Fall

Fall is much more than a season: it's a cultural package. There are special fall crafts, activities, and traditions; fall recipes, treats, and drinks; and of course fall colors, decorations, holidays, and entertainment. And then there is a "fall language", i.e. a subset of vocabulary used a lot in this mellow and melancholy season that marks the transition into winter.

Here is a sampler of the language of fall along with its linguistic baggage:

autumn: The word autumn came into English from the Latin autumnus via the Old French autompne. The origin of autumnus is a mystery. Maybe it is an Etruscan loan, maybe not. Throughout the Middle Ages, speakers of English used the word harvest to refer to the fall season. Then, gradually, the meaning of harvest shifted from "the season for reaping grain" to "the activity of reaping grain" or "grain gathered". As of the 16th century, autumn (or fall in the US) came to signify the season.

cider: Cider and apple go together as Marco and Polo, but it was not always thus. Originally, cider (< Old French sidre) did not mean "fermented apple juice", but "any strong drink." Cider ultimately derives from Hebrew shēkhār (= intoxicating drink). Late Latin and Greek used sicera and sikera respectively in Bible translations of the original Hebrew word. Nowadays the biblical connotations have faded away, and (apple) cider evokes cozy autumn evenings by a roaring fire.

harvest: What do the words harvest, excerpt, scarce, and carpet have in common? They all go way back to the same Indo-European root, *kerp-/*korp- , which means "to pluck", "to tear off". This old root has also given us the Latin verb carpere (of carpe diem! fame), the Greek noun karpós (= fruit, crop, i.e. harvest), as well as a number of cognates with the underlying meaning of "cutting". (Cf. Lithuanian kiřpti (= to cut with scissors), Middle Irish corrán (= sickle), etc.)

pumpkin: Etymologically, a pumpkin is more akin to a melon than a pump. (Actually, there is no etymological kinship between pumpkins and pumps.) Pumpkin derives from the Greek pepon, a kind of melon eaten only when very ripe. Latin borrowed the Greek pepon and came up with pepo, and then French borrowed the Latin pepo and came up with popon and pompon. By the mid-1500s, English had pumpion-an alteration of the Middle French loan of pompon-for "melon" or "pumpkin". A century later, someone had the bright idea to attach the Saxon diminutive suffix -kin (= little) to the Latinate pumpion, thus giving us pumpkin. Next time you go shopping for the largest pumpkin in the store, just think: They all started out as... little melons!

Enjoy the special gifts of the fall, everyone!

Source:
Merriam-Webster Online: http://www.m-w.com