summer

¹

[suhm-er]

noun

1. the season between spring and autumn, in the Northern Hemisphere from the summer solstice to the autumnal equinox, and in the Southern Hemisphere from the winter solstice to the vernal equinox.

2. the period comprising the months of June, July, and August in the United States, and from the middle of May to the middle of August in Great Britain.

3. a period of hot, usually sunny weather.

   We had no real summer last year.

4. the hotter half of the year (winter ).

   They spend the summers in New Hampshire and the winters in Florida.

5. the period of finest development, perfection, or beauty previous to any decline.

   the summer of life.

6. a whole year as represented by this season.

   a girl of fifteen summers.

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of summer.

   Iced tea is a summer drink.

2. appropriate for or done during the summer.

   summer clothes;

   summer sports.

3. having the weather or warmth of summer.

   summer days in late October.

verb (used without object)

1. to spend or pass the summer.

   They summered in Maine.

verb (used with object)

1. to keep, feed, or manage during the summer.

   Sheep are summered in high pastures.

2. to make summerlike.

summer

²

Obsolete, som·er

[suhm-er]

noun

1. a principal beam or girder, as one running between girts to support joists.

2. a stone laid upon a pier, column, or wall, from which one or more arches spring: usually molded or otherwise treated like the arch or arches springing from it.

3. a beam or lintel.

summer

¹

/ ˈsʌmə /

noun

1. (sometimes capital)

   1. the warmest season of the year, between spring and autumn, astronomically from the June solstice to the September equinox in the N hemisphere and at the opposite time of year in the S hemisphere

   2. ( as modifier )

      summer flowers

      a summer dress

2. the period of hot weather associated with the summer

3. a time of blossoming, greatest happiness, etc

4. poetic,  a year represented by this season

   a child of nine summers

verb

1. (intr) to spend the summer (at a place)

2. (tr) to keep or feed (farm animals) during the summer

   they summered their cattle on the mountain slopes

summer

²

/ ˈsʌmə /

noun

1. Also called: summer tree. a large horizontal beam or girder, esp one that supports floor joists

2. another name for lintel

3. a stone on the top of a column, pier, or wall that supports an arch or lintel

Other Word Forms

• summer-like adjective
• summeriness noun
• summery adjective
• summerless adjective
• summerly adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of summer¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English somer, Old English sumor; cognate with Dutch zomer, German Sommer, Old Norse sumar “summer”; akin to Sanskrit sámā “season, half-year, year,” Old Irish sam-, Old Welsh ham, Welsh haf “summer”

Origin of summer²

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English somer, from Anglo-French; Old French somier “packhorse, beam,” from unattested Vulgar Latin saumārius, equivalent to Latin sagm(a) “packsaddle” (from Greek ságma ) + -ārius noun suffix; -ary, -er ²

Word History and Origins

Origin of summer¹

Old English sumor; related to Old Frisian sumur, Old Norse sumar, Old High German sumar, Sanskrit samā season

Origin of summer²

C14: from Anglo-Norman somer, from Old French somier beam, packhorse, from Late Latin sagmārius ( equus ) pack(horse), from sagma a packsaddle, from Greek

Example Sentences

In 1921, hoteliers in Atlantic City subverted that idea by creating their own revue of “bathing beauties,” held the week after Labor Day as a way to extend the summer season.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

A summer dry season makes the hills east of California’s coastal cities prone to devastating wildfires, while the Central Valley hosts some of the world’s most productive farmland.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

This summer, restrictions on rare earths, including critical minerals, earlier this summer had led to an escalation between the U.S. and China that took several rounds of negotiations to defuse.

Read more on Barron's

Investors are more focused on Tesla’s AI opportunities, such as the robo-taxi business it launched this summer in Austin, Texas.

Read more on Barron's

Signs of softness in the job market linger, particularly for youth who struggled with a tough summer job market, and uncertainty about the economy remains high.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• summertime 
• vacation