For a very long time, English speakers observed two seasons rather than four. Summer and winter, the warm time of year and the cold time of year, were the seasons.

But by the 12th century, a word had been introduced into the language to describe the season that occurs after the warm part of the year and before the cold: harvest.

"Harvest" comes from an Old English word of Germanic origin, hærfest, which in some senses means “picking, plucking” (as one might pluck or pick fruits in order to harvest them).

Around the 14th century, the word “autumn” was introduced, and gradually replaced harvest as a seasonal name. Two centuries later, the term “falle of the leef,” or “fall,” became another name for the season.

Senior writer Chris DeWeese edits Morning Brief, The Weather Channel’s newsletter.