English
summer
Summer comes from Middle English somer, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *sm̥-h₂-ór-o-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*sm̥-h₂-ór-o-reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*sumarazreconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*sumarreconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150sumor
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500somer
- Englishearliest quotation 1829summer
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*sm̥-h₂-ór-o-reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*sumarazreconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*sumarreconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150sumor
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500somer
- Englishearliest quotation 1829summer
Earliest quotation: 1829, Edgar Allan Poe, Tamerlane: “O! craving heart, for the lost flowers And sunshine…”
Every English word from Proto-Indo-European *sm̥-h₂-ór-o-
Another origin of summer
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*sm̥-h₂-ór-o-reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*sumaraznext step skipped: Vulgar Latin saumārius
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*sumarreconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150sumor
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500somer
- Englishtodaysummer
Today it means
noun One of four seasons, traditionally the second, marked by the longest and typically hottest days of the year due to the inclination of the Earth and thermal lag. Typically regarded as spanning either the period between the summer solstice to the autumnal equinox, or the months of June, July, and August in the Northern Hemisphere and the months of December, January and February in the Southern Hemis
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *sm̥-h₂-ór-o- / summer