# All Slavic: Synonyms of Spring, Autumn



## arn00b

Are there synonyms or alternate forms of Spring and Autumn?

In English, we have both _autumn_ and _fall_ as synonyms, and we have _Spring_ and prevernal (adjective) meaning slightly different things - Spring, the whole season and prevernal, the botanical/ecological _season_ before summer.

Do the Western or Southern Slavic languages have any synonyms for Spring?  I know that some have vesna-type words and others prolete-types, but are there any that have two?  

And I'm looking for one word for autumn - a synonym or a word like _post-summer_, _pre-winter_, _harvest_ or _leaf-fall_ (but not the month of Listopad.)

Archaic or poetic versions would be fine too.  

Any help would be greatly appreciated.


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## TriglavNationalPark

In Slovenian, *vigred* (regional) and *vesna* (poetic) are two synonyms of *pomlad* (= spring) that immediately come to mind and are listed in SSKJ, as are the less common terms *mladoletje* (literary) and *spomlad *(archaic).


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## FairOaks

I can't think of any fancy words, but I can tell you that _prevernal_ means _pre-spring_ (check the meaning of _vernal_).


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## bibax

Czech:
jaro - vesna
podzim - jeseň


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## marco_2

bibax said:


> Czech:
> jaro - vesna
> podzim - jeseň



In Polish we also used to have a noun *jaro *which meant _spring _or _summer_, now we only have the adjective *jary *- _zboża jare _means _spring crops. _We also use the noun *jarzyna*, which once meant _spring crop_, now _a vegetable_ or a mixture of vegetables.


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## arn00b

bibax said:


> Czech:
> jaro - vesna
> podzim - jeseň



Thanks a lot, everyone.   For jaro and vesna, are they exactly the same?  Which one sounds earlier or later?  Or warmer/colder?


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## bibax

Four seasons of the year in Czech: *jaro, léto, podzim, zima*

*jaro* - a neuter (substantivized) form of the adjective jarý = lively, vivacious, vigorous;

*podzim* < pod zimou (= under winter);

The original Common Slavic words *vesna* and *jeseň* are used only in literature, esp. poetry.


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## Azori

In Slovak the most common (standard) words for spring, summer, fall and winter are: *jar, leto, jeseň, zima*. For spring there's also *vesna* (literary, poetic). The term *babie leto* is used to refer to a period of sunny, warm days at the beginning of autumn / end of summer. *Podzim* is archaic / literary for autumn.


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## oveka

Ukrainian:

весна́ 

  begin   про́весна, про́весень
  end      на ро́зигри, на ро́зиграх


осінь

  begin   пі́досінь


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## itreius

BCS

_spring_
*proljeće* _(proleće)_ - the standard word
*vesna* - _literary_
*protuletje* - _regional_
*vuletje* - _regional_



*jesen* - autumn

I can't remember any other words for autumn right now.


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## Maroseika

*Russian*

Лето
юг (dialectical, now it means "south");
пролетье - beginning of summer.

Осень 
есень (dialectical)
бабье лето - Indian summer (warm weeks of September);
чернотроп (lit. black paths) - period before the first snow.
предзимье  - late autumn

Зима
первозимье - beginning of winter

Весна
авсень, овесень, усень - first day of spring (dialectical, obsolete).


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## TriglavNationalPark

Slovenian uses both *babje leto* and *indijansko poletje* for "Indian summer" ("a period of unusually settled warm weather after the end of summer proper").


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## marco_2

TriglavNationalPark said:


> Slovenian uses both *babje leto* and *indijansko poletje* for "Indian summer" ("a period of unusually settled warm weather after the end of summer proper").



In Polish it is also *babie lato *or *(polska) złota jesień) *- "Polish golden autumn". We also use the term _babie lato _for balloon silk, dispersed by small spiders in autumn on warm days.


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## Maroseika

marco_2 said:


> In Polish it is also *babie lato *or *(polska) złota jesień) *- "Polish golden autumn". We also use the term _babie lato _for balloon silk, dispersed by small spiders in autumn on warm days.



This is a bit strange. In Russian there is also expression золотая осень (golden autumn), but it refers to the period when the trees are all yellow (gold), i.e. to the period pretty later than Indian summer - Beginning or middle of October. 
So what the Polish metaphora _złota jesień_ is based on?
Or maybe due to the different climate in Poland Indian summer  also refers to the middle of autumn?


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## marco_2

Maroseika said:


> This is a bit strange. In Russian there is also expression золотая осень (golden autumn), but it refers to the period when the trees are all yellow (gold), i.e. to the period pretty later than Indian summer - Beginning or middle of October.
> So what the Polish metaphora _złota jesień_ is based on?
> Or maybe due to the different climate in Poland Indian summer  also refers to the middle of autumn?



I think you're right, Maroseika, in Poland very often September is quite cold (like this year, BTW) and in October we have a period of warmer days, though the trees are already yellow (gold), so this metaphor is connected with the colour of leaves lit additionally by a ray of sunshine. This is at least as I see it.


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## nimak

Maroseika said:


> In Russian there is also expression золотая осень (golden autumn)



The expression *златна есен* (zlátna ésen) _"golden autumn"_ is used in Macedonian too. And there is a very nice Macedonian kindergarten song using that expression:

Есен, есен, златна есен
на гости нѝ иде,
сите велат дека многу
богата ќе биде!

_Translit._
Ésen, ésen, zlátna ésen,
ná gosti nì íde,
síte vélat déka mnógu
bógata ḱe bíde!


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