Where did the name winter come from? How the season got its name.
Daylight savings time has ended, and now we have to reckon with an earlier and earlier sunset.
But for some, this time of year is an exciting countdown to snow days and holiday celebrations. Some parts of the U.S. are already receiving a winter preview. New Hampshire’s Mount Washington experienced “full winter conditions at the summit” in early October and millions of Americans in the upper Midwest and Pacific Northwest faced snowfall on Halloween.
Why is it called winter?
The word winter comes from an old Germanic word for “time of water,” a reference to the heavy rain and snow this time of year, according to the Encyclopedia Britannica.
Winter extends from the winter solstice – the shortest day of the year – to the vernal equinox, the start of spring. In the Northern Hemisphere, that’s December, January, February and March.
Why is it called fall?
The word “fall” refers to the falling leaves, a hallmark of the season. According to Merriam-Webster, the word autumn – derived from the Latin “autumnus” – was originally more commonly used. But around the 1600s, poets frequently described the season as “the fall of the leaves.” The name “fall” stuck, especially as American and British English diverged across oceans.
What is the first day of winter called?
The first day of winter is the winter solstice, which has the fewest hours of daylight in the entire year. But the winter solstice isn't actually an entire day-long event – it’s only the one specific moment when the Northern hemisphere is tilted as far away from the sun as possible, according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac.
This year, the winter solstice is at 4:21 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 21.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why is it called winter? How the season got its name.