# Primavera / Verano



## Rainbowlight

Hello everyone,

The Spanish language uses two similar terms to refer to two different, yet chronologically sequential seasons. Some translators and philologists have seen a connection between classical Latin *"ver"* or *"vera"* and* "primavera"*, which would literally just be the *"first ver"*. Spanish "verano" (the word used to refer to the summer) could be considered as some sort of culmination. Meanwhile, *"prima vera"* would have the status of being just the first season, a mere anticipation of the *"verano".*

I find it interesting to note that both seasons contain the particle* "ver"*, which could well be related to Spanish adjective "verde" ("green"). In Spain, both spring and summer are considered as fertile seasons during which all kinds of plants, grasses and fruits grow and mature. Green, as it is well known, is a colour linked to growth and fertility.

I was wondering if there are similar plays on words or unexpected, oddly accurate correspondences in your language's naming of seasons.

Best regards,

Rainbowlight


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## Yendred

In French:

_*printemps* = primus tempus_ ("first time")
_*été*_ is from Latin _aestus_, of same meaning, but which also means _heat, fire_. _Aestus_ is cognate with _aedes_ (hearth, home), which has given _édifice (_building_), édifier (_to build/erect_)_, etc.
_*automne*_ is from Latin _autumnus_, of same meaning, which comes from the name of a divinity who rules the change of seasons, Vertumnus (= "who turns", like the change which occurs in autumn of the weather and vegetation, etc.)
_*hiver*_ is from Latin _hibernus _and_ hiems_ (same meaning), and ultimately from Indo-European _*ghei_ of same meaning, which has also given Greek χεῖμα, Russian зима́ and Sanskrit हिम, _himá (= snow)._


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## apmoy70

Greek:

Spring: *«Άνοιξη»* [ˈanik͡s̠i] (fem.) < Byz. 3rd declension fem. deverbal noun *«ἄνοιξις» ánoiksis *(nom. sing.), *«ἀνοίξεως» anoíkseōs* (gen. sing.) < Classical v. *«ἀνοίγνυμι» ănoígnŭmĭ* --> _to open, unfold, disclose_ a compound: Classical prefix and preposition *«ἀνά» ănắ* + Classical (rare) athematic verb *«οἴγνυμι» oígnŭmĭ*. It's considered the name of the season in the vernacular as the Byzantines preferred the 3rd declension archaism:
*«Ἔαρ» éăr *(neut. nom. sing.),* «ἔαρος» éărŏs* (neut. nom. gen.) < PIE *ues-r- _spring_ cf Skt. वसन्त (vasanta), Arm. գարուն (garun), S. Kurdish وه‌هار (wehar), Proto-Slavic *vesna > Rus./Ukr. весна, BCS весна/vesna.

Summer: *«Καλοκαίρι»* [kalo̞ˈce̞ɾi] (neut.) < Byz. *«καλοκαίρι(o)ν» kalokaíri(ο)n* (neut.), a compound: Combinatory form *«καλο-» kălŏ-* of adj. *«καλός» kălós* + masc. noun *«καιρός» kairós *--> _right measure, right point of time, (favourable) opportunity, time of the year, time, weather_ (of uncertain etymology. Could be a deverbative from κείρω keírō, perhaps from κύρω kū́rō, _to meet with, come upon, find_ with no cognates outside Greek). It's a newer (Late Byzantine) word, the ancients used:
*«Θέρος» tʰérŏs* (neut.) < PIE *gʷʰer- _warm_ cf Skt. हरस् (haras), _flame, heat,_ Proto-Slavic *gorěti, _to burn_ > Rus. горeть, Cz. hořet, Svk. horiet, Pol. gorzeć, BCS гoрети, гoрјети/goreti, gorjeti).

Autumn: *«Φθινόπωρο»* [fθiˈno̞po̞ɾo̞] (neut.) < Classical neuter noun *«φθινόπωρον» pʰtʰinópōrŏn* --> _initially the season beginning in late September following the_ *«ὀπώρᾱ» ŏpṓrā* (fem.) --> _late summer_ (=etymologically, a compound of PIE *h₁opi- _at, on, upon, near_ cf. Lat. obs, Proto-Germanic *ēbanþs > D. avond, Eng. even + *h₁os-r/n- _harvest time_ cf. Proto-Slavic *(j)esenь, _autumn_ > Rus. осень, Bel. восень, Ukr. осінь, Svk. jeseň).
*«Φθινόπωρον»* is a compound: Classical verb *«φθίνω» pʰtʰínō* --> _to decline, decay, perish_ (PIE *dʰgʷʰei- _to disappear_ cf Skt. क्षिति (ks̩iti), _wane, destruction_) + *«ὀπώρᾱ»* (see above).
The ancient Greeks also used the name *«μετόπωρον» mĕtópōrŏn* (neut.) for _autumn_, a compound: Classical prefix & preposition *«μετά» mĕtắ* --> _after, next_ + *«ὀπώρᾱ»*.

Winter: *«Χειμώνας»* [çiˈmo̞nas̠] (masc.) < Classical masc. noun *«χειμών» kʰeimṓn* and neut. *«χεῖμα» kʰeîmă* --> _winter, winter weather_ (PIE *ǵʰ(e)i-m- _winter_ cf Skt. हिमा (himā), Hitt. gimmi-, Lat. hiems, Proto-Slavic *zima > Rus./Ukr. зима, OCS зима, BCS зима/zima, Cz./Pol./Svk./Slo. zima; Arm. ձմեռ (jmer), Alb. dijën).


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## Penyafort

Catalan:

spring ⇒ *primavera* [pɾimə'βeɾə] _f._ (As in Spanish, it comes from the Latin _prima vera_ 'beginning of the summer', _vera_ being a feminized form of the classical _ver_)

summer ⇒ *estiu* [əs'tiw] _m._ (From Latin _(tempus) aestivum_ 'summertime')

autumn ⇒ *tardor* [təɾ'ðo] _f._ (From an older form _tardaó_, from the Latin _tardatione_ 'the fact of being late, slowness')

- Other possible variants, preferred in some areas, are:​· *primavera d'hivern* (literally, 'spring of the winter')​· *santmiquelada*, usually more restricted to the beginning of autumn (literally, 'Saint Michaelmas', St Michael being on September 29th)​​- Catalan is the only one among the main Romance languages to not use a word coming from AUTUMNU. The word *autumne* exists, but is regarded as rare and very literary.​
winter ⇒ *hivern* [i'βεɾn] _m._ (From Latin _hibernum_, short for _(tempus) hibernum_ 'wintertime')


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## Yendred

Penyafort said:


> · *primavera d'hivern* (literally, 'spring of the winter')


That's cute. Is it a common usage or does it carry a poetic nuance?


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## Penyafort

Yendred said:


> That's cute. Is it a common usage or does it bear a poetic nuance?


The thing is, except for the most conservative peripheral areas of the Romance lands (Portuguese, Spanish, Romanian), _autumn_ has traditionally been the season where all speakers had their own way of calling it. French, for instance, also had words like _après-aôut_ or _arrière-saison_ for it, _automne_ being a learned word introduced later on the speech of common people. 

In the same way, _tardor_ was a rather literary word in Catalan but it slowly became the most usual one in Catalonia. Before that, _primavera d'hivern_ was a common way of calling it, and it can still be heard in many places of southern Catalonia, Valencia and the Balearic Islands. You can see a detailed map of the use of these words here. However, it is true that, the more _tardor_ has replaced _primavera d'hivern_, the more it's becoming a rather poetical term, and I certainly came to know it through poetry.


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## Olaszinhok

*Italian:*
primavera   - a/in primavera in spring
estate       - in/d'estate       in summer.  Lat. _aestas -atis_,  _aestus_  related to heat.
Estate is feminine unlike the other Romance languages. This is a common mistake.
autunno    - in/d'autunno    in autumn/fall
inverno     - in/d'inverno     in winter


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## ThomasK

Dutch: 
- *lente *(voorjaar) due to the days become longer (length : _lengte_) and to the idea of fore-year, beginning of the year
- *zomer *(summer of course)
- *herfst *(the harvest periode)
- *winter *(based on water, wet, so I read)


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## amikama

In Hebrew the words for spring and summer are etymologically unrelated:
אביב - spring
קיץ - summer


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## elroy

Same in Arabic:
ربيع = spring
صيف = summer

Fun fact:
Of all the words for the seasons in Arabic and Hebrew, none are related to each other except that Arabic "fall" and Hebrew "winter" are (false) cognates! 

spring | summer | fall | winter
Arabic: ربيع /rabi:ʕ/ | صيف /sˤajf/ | خريف /xari:f/ | شتاء /ʃita:ʔ/
Hebrew: אביב /aviv/ | קיץ /kajits/ | סתיו /stav/ | חורף /ħoref/


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## raamez

elroy said:


> Same in Arabic:
> ربيع = spring
> صيف = summer
> 
> Fun fact:
> Of all the words for the seasons in Arabic and Hebrew, none are related to each other except that Arabic "fall" and Hebrew "winter" are (false) cognates!
> 
> spring | summer | fall | winter
> Arabic: ربيع /rabi:ʔ/ | صيف /sˤajf/ | خريف /xari:f/ | شتاء /ʃita:ʔ/
> Hebrew: אביב /aviv/ | קיץ /kajits/ | סתיו /stav/ | חורף /ħoref/


Actually Arabic has also qayTH قيظ for summer which is still used in some dialects but of course the main word is صيف


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## Trisia

Romanian is pretty straightforward. All Latin. The only fun part (that I found in our dictionary cause I hadn't thought of that before) is that the adjectives deriving from the names of the seasons have been doubled by neologisms borrowed from French (so ultimately still of Latin origin) which, excepting a few set expressions, have all but replaced them.

spring - *primăvară *> _adj._ primăvăratic = vernal
summer - *vară *> _adj. _văratic = estival
autumn - *toamnă *> _adj. _tomnatic = autumnal
winter - *iarnă *> _adj. _iernatic = hibernal

For example, _văratic_ is still found in "cireș/măr/etc. văratic" (trees that yield fruit that ripens in summer) and _tomnatic _survives in "flăcău tomnatic" (lit. _autumnal lad_) -- man obviously past his prime but still childish or immature, or a sort of male equivalent of spinster/old maid.


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## Rainbowlight

Yendred said:


> In French:
> 
> _*printemps* = primus tempus_ ("first time")
> _*été*_ is from Latin _aestus_, of same meaning, but which also means _heat, fire_. _Aestus_ is cognate with _aedes_ (hearth, home), which has given _édifice (_building_), édifier (_to build/erect_)_, etc.
> _*automne*_ is from Latin _autumnus_, of same meaning, which comes from the name of a divinity who rules the change of seasons, Vertumnus (= "who turns", like the change which occurs in autumn of the weather and vegetation, etc.)
> _*hiver*_ is from Latin _hibernus _and_ hiems_ (same meaning), and ultimately from Indo-European _*ghei_ of same meaning, which has also given Greek χεῖμα, Russian зима́ and Sanskrit हिम, _himá (= snow)._


Thank you so much. : )


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## Rainbowlight

apmoy70 said:


> Greek:
> 
> Spring: *«Άνοιξη»* [ˈanik͡s̠i] (fem.) < Byz. 3rd declension fem. deverbal noun *«ἄνοιξις» ánoiksis *(nom. sing.), *«ἀνοίξεως» anoíkseōs* (gen. sing.) < Classical v. *«ἀνοίγνυμι» ănoígnŭmĭ* --> _to open, unfold, disclose_ a compound: Classical prefix and preposition *«ἀνά» ănắ* + Classical (rare) athematic verb *«οἴγνυμι» oígnŭmĭ*. It's considered the name of the season in the vernacular as the Byzantines preferred the 3rd declension archaism:
> *«Ἔαρ» éăr *(neut. nom. sing.),* «ἔαρος» éărŏs* (neut. nom. gen.) < PIE *ues-r- _spring_ cf Skt. वसन्त (vasanta), Arm. գարուն (garun), S. Kurdish وه‌هار (wehar), Proto-Slavic *vesna > Rus./Ukr. весна, BCS весна/vesna.
> 
> Summer: *«Καλοκαίρι»* [kalo̞ˈce̞ɾi] (neut.) < Byz. *«καλοκαίρι(o)ν» kalokaíri(ο)n* (neut.), a compound: Combinatory form *«καλο-» kălŏ-* of adj. *«καλός» kălós* + masc. noun *«καιρός» kairós *--> _right measure, right point of time, (favourable) opportunity, time of the year, time, weather_ (of uncertain etymology. Could be a deverbative from κείρω keírō, perhaps from κύρω kū́rō, _to meet with, come upon, find_ with no cognates outside Greek). It's a newer (Late Byzantine) word, the ancients used:
> *«Θέρος» tʰérŏs* (neut.) < PIE *gʷʰer- _warm_ cf Skt. हरस् (haras), _flame, heat,_ Proto-Slavic *gorěti, _to burn_ > Rus. горeть, Cz. hořet, Svk. horiet, Pol. gorzeć, BCS гoрети, гoрјети/goreti, gorjeti).
> 
> Autumn: *«Φθινόπωρο»* [fθiˈno̞po̞ɾo̞] (neut.) < Classical neuter noun *«φθινόπωρον» pʰtʰinópōrŏn* --> _initially the season beginning in late September following the_ *«ὀπώρᾱ» ŏpṓrā* (fem.) --> _late summer_ (=etymologically, a compound of PIE *h₁opi- _at, on, upon, near_ cf. Lat. obs, Proto-Germanic *ēbanþs > D. avond, Eng. even + *h₁os-r/n- _harvest time_ cf. Proto-Slavic *(j)esenь, _autumn_ > Rus. осень, Bel. восень, Ukr. осінь, Svk. jeseň).
> *«Φθινόπωρον»* is a compound: Classical verb *«φθίνω» pʰtʰínō* --> _to decline, decay, perish_ (PIE *dʰgʷʰei- _to disappear_ cf Skt. क्षिति (ks̩iti), _wane, destruction_) + *«ὀπώρᾱ»* (see above).
> The ancient Greeks also used the name *«μετόπωρον» mĕtópōrŏn* (neut.) for _autumn_, a compound: Classical prefix & preposition *«μετά» mĕtắ* --> _after, next_ + *«ὀπώρᾱ»*.
> 
> Winter: *«Χειμώνας»* [çiˈmo̞nas̠] (masc.) < Classical masc. noun *«χειμών» kʰeimṓn* and neut. *«χεῖμα» kʰeîmă* --> _winter, winter weather_ (PIE *ǵʰ(e)i-m- _winter_ cf Skt. हिमा (himā), Hitt. gimmi-, Lat. hiems, Proto-Slavic *zima > Rus./Ukr. зима, OCS зима, BCS зима/zima, Cz./Pol./Svk./Slo. zima; Arm. ձմեռ (jmer), Alb. dijën).


Thanks for your amazingly detailed, complete answer.


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## Rainbowlight

Penyafort said:


> Catalan:
> 
> spring ⇒ *primavera* [pɾimə'βeɾə] _f._ (As in Spanish, it comes from the Latin _prima vera_ 'beginning of the summer', _vera_ being a feminized form of the classical _ver_)
> 
> summer ⇒ *estiu* [əs'tiw] _m._ (From Latin _(tempus) aestivum_ 'summertime')
> 
> autumn ⇒ *tardor* [təɾ'ðo] _f._ (From an older form _tardaó_, from the Latin _tardatione_ 'the fact of being late, slowness')
> 
> - Other possible variants, preferred in some areas, are:​· *primavera d'hivern* (literally, 'spring of the winter')​· *santmiquelada*, usually more restricted to the beginning of autumn (literally, 'Saint Michaelmas', St Michael being on September 29th)​​- Catalan is the only one among the main Romance languages to not use a word coming from AUTUMNU. The word *autumne* exists, but is regarded as rare and very literary.​
> winter ⇒ *hivern* [i'βεɾn] _m._ (From Latin _hibernum_, short for _(tempus) hibernum_ 'wintertime')


Thank you. I find that all the variants are incredibly suggestive and only add to the richness of the language.


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## Rainbowlight

Penyafort said:


> The thing is, except for the most conservative peripheral areas of the Romance lands (Portuguese, Spanish, Romanian), _autumn_ has traditionally been the season where all speakers had their own way of calling it. French, for instance, also had words like _après-aôut_ or _arrière-saison_ for it, _automne_ being a learned word introduced later on the speech of common people.
> 
> In the same way, _tardor_ was a rather literary word in Catalan but it slowly became the most usual one in Catalonia. Before that, _primavera d'hivern_ was a common way of calling it, and it can still be heard in many places of southern Catalonia, Valencia and the Balearic Islands. You can see a detailed map of the use of these words here. However, it is true that, the more _tardor_ has replaced _primavera d'hivern_, the more it's becoming a rather poetical term, and I certainly came to know it through poetry.


Fascinating stuff. I had never heard of après-aôut in my whole life. I love endangered words and also those that are no longer used.


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## Rainbowlight

Olaszinhok said:


> *Italian:*
> primavera   - a/in primavera in spring
> estate       - in/d'estate       in summer.  Lat. _aestas -atis_,  _aestus_  related to heat.
> Estate is feminine unlike the other Romance languages. This is a common mistake.
> autunno    - in/d'autunno    in autumn/fall
> inverno     - in/d'inverno     in winter


Except for "la estate", they are all quite similar to their Spanish counterparts. Grazie!


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## Rainbowlight

ThomasK said:


> Dutch:
> - *lente *(voorjaar) due to the days become longer (length : _lengte_) and to the idea of fore-year, beginning of the year
> - *zomer *(summer of course)
> - *herfst *(the harvest periode)
> - *winter *(based on water, wet, so I read)


Thank you very much for your help. I sometimes wonder if the word "autumn" was linked to the noun or verb for the harvest in an earlier period of the language development. I certainly cannot think right now of a Spanish word that sounds like "otoño"...


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## Rainbowlight

amikama said:


> In Hebrew the words for spring and summer are etymologically unrelated:
> אביב - spring
> קיץ - summer


Thank you so much for your help. Do these two words have a known etymology? And, last but not east, may I ask you if the word אביב has associations with words like _jet_, _stream_ or _fountain_?


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## Rainbowlight

Trisia said:


> Romanian is pretty straightforward. All Latin. The only fun part (that I found in our dictionary cause I hadn't thought of that before) is that the adjectives deriving from the names of the seasons have been doubled by neologisms borrowed from French (so ultimately still of Latin origin) which, excepting a few set expressions, have all but replaced them.
> 
> spring - *primăvară *> _adj._ primăvăratic = vernal
> summer - *vară *> _adj. _văratic = estival
> autumn - *toamnă *> _adj. _tomnatic = autumnal
> winter - *iarnă *> _adj. _iernatic = hibernal
> 
> For example, _văratic_ is still found in "cireș/măr/etc. văratic" (trees that yield fruit that ripens in summer) and _tomnatic _survives in "flăcău tomnatic" (lit. _autumnal lad_) -- man obviously past his prime but still childish or immature, or a sort of male equivalent of spinster/old maid.


Thank you so much for your answer. : )


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## ThomasK

Rainbowlight said:


> Thank you very much for your help. I sometimes wonder if the word "autumn" was linked to the noun or verb for the harvest in an earlier period of the language development. I certainly cannot think right now of a Spanish word that sounds like "otoño"...


There is no certainty as for the etymology of "autumn". Maybe Etruscan for a dry period...


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## Olaszinhok

Rainbowlight said:


> Except for "la estate", they are all quite similar to their Spanish counterparts. Grazie!


Yes, they are. L'estate  Autunno and otoño are not that similar in my opinion, but they certainly share the same etymology.


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## Dymn

elroy said:


> Of all the words for the seasons in Arabic and Hebrew, none are related to each other except that Arabic "fall" and Hebrew "winter" are (false) cognates!


Is it uncommon for Arabic and Hebrew to have this discrepancy in basic vocabulary?


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## raamez

Dymn said:


> Is it uncommon for Arabic and Hebrew to have this discrepancy in basic vocabulary?


Sorry, I am not Elroy but wanted to share my observation while studying Hebrew on myself.
Since Hebrew and Arabic diverged over three thousand years ago it is actually very remarkable to find any 100% matching words, even in basic vocabulary, although both languages share a huge amount of cognates.
It is usually exactly the contrary, words in Arabic and Hebrew rarely match in anyway, except for numbers and body parts, which makes it absolutely impossible to understand any spoken Hebrew as an Arab.


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## vianie

Trisia said:


> winter - *iarnă *> _adj. _iernatic = hibernal


In Slovak, "jarná rovnodennosť" means vernal equinox and "jar" (of feminine gender) is spring.

See the etymology of "year" if you are interested.


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## Rainbowlight

ThomasK said:


> There is no certainty as for the etymology of "autumn". Maybe Etruscan for a dry period...


Thanks for your answer. Maybe it makes reference to the harvest time, although the harvest time is not fixed and can vary a lot from one country to another. It could be interesting to see what the words for harvest and autumn are in all European countries.

Thanks again for your answer. : )


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## Rainbowlight

vianie said:


> In Slovak, "jarná rovnodennosť" means vernal equinox and "jar" (of feminine gender) is spring.
> 
> See the etymology of "year" if you are interested.


Thank you very much. Do you know if a word like "jar" also related to verbs like "to spring", "to sprout", "to jet", even "to dock"?


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## vianie

Rainbowlight said:


> Thank you very much. Do you know if a word like "jar" also related to verbs like "to spring", "to sprout", "to jet", even "to dock"?


No, our " jar" is not related to verbs like these.


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## ThomasK

I wonder whether it would be possible to come to some conclusion.  

I liked - or rather: was impressed by - the suggestion by Penyafort in #6 that _[my words_] there used to be mainly two seasons, i.e., winter and summer, and that the other two depend on - or are fashioned by them: _primavera_ as the beginning of summer and autumn somehow the after-period. Dutch calls_ lente _and _herfst voorjaar _and _najaar_ respectively: before-year and after-year. 

Also interesting: "year" refers not only to "year", but often also "season" (@vianie, #25) or "that which makes a year complete". I tried to find other *yer-o derivations at etymonline.com, but in vain.


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## Welsh_Sion

Can I just quickly point out that traditionally Celts processed the year as follows:

spring (Welsh: gwanwyn) - February, March, April
summer (Welsh: haf) - May, June, July
autumn (Welsh: hydref) - August, September, October
winter (Welsh: gaeaf) - November, December, January

Hence 'New Year's Day' would begin at nightfall on 31 October. Hence 'Nos Galan Gaeaf' ('The Night of the Winter Calends' aka 'Hallowe'en'.)


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## Awwal12

From the perspective of modern Russian, all the seasons are completely de-etymologized and don't have any obvious connections. Further etymology goes as follows:
весна (vesná) "spring" - from a PIE root with the same meaning (a cognate to Latin vēr "spring" and the Romance words derived from it);
лето (léto) "summer" - from a PIE root that apparently meant a warm season (cf. Ir. laithe "day");
осень  (ósen') "autumn, fall" - from a PIE root for harvesting (a cognate to German Ernte "harvest");
зима (zimá) "winter" - derived from a PIE root meaning "winter, frost, snow > year" (with Romance and Celtic words for winter being remote cognates)


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