autumnus

Latin

Alternative forms

• auctumnus, autumna

Etymology

From earlier auctumnus, of unclear ultimate origin:

• From Proto-Indo-European *h₃ewǵ- (“cold”) (compare Old Irish úacht, Lithuanian áušti (“to cool off”), Old Armenian ոյծ (oyc)).
• Borrowed from an Etruscan word, like Etruscan 𐌀𐌕𐌖𐌍𐌄 (atune, “autumn”).
• From Proto-Indo-European *h₂sews- (“dry”), as in "drying up season."

Possibly influenced by auctus (“enriched, enlarged, ample”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /au̯ˈtum.nus/, [äu̯ˈt̪ʊmnʊs̠]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /au̯ˈtum.nus/, [äu̯ˈt̪umnus]

Noun

autumnus m (genitive autumnī); second declension

1. autumn, fall

Declension

Second-declension noun.

	singular	plural
nominative	autumnus	autumnī
genitive	autumnī	autumnōrum
dative	autumnō	autumnīs
accusative	autumnum	autumnōs
ablative	autumnō	autumnīs
vocative	autumne	autumnī

Adjective

autumnus (feminine autumna, neuter autumnum); first/second-declension adjective

1. (relational) autumn; autumnal

Declension

First/second-declension adjective.

	singular				plural
	masculine	feminine	neuter		masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	autumnus	autumna	autumnum		autumnī	autumnae	autumna
genitive	autumnī	autumnae	autumnī		autumnōrum	autumnārum	autumnōrum
dative	autumnō	autumnae	autumnō		autumnīs
accusative	autumnum	autumnam	autumnum		autumnōs	autumnās	autumna
ablative	autumnō	autumnā	autumnō		autumnīs
vocative	autumne	autumna	autumnum		autumnī	autumnae	autumna

Descendants

Several are learned.

• Balkan Romance:
  • Aromanian: toamnã, tomne
  • Istro-Romanian: tomne
  • Megleno-Romanian: toamnă
  • Romanian: toamnă
• Dalmatian:
  • autun
• Italo-Romance:
  • Corsican: autunnu, autorniu
  • Italian: autunno
  • Neapolitan: autúnno
  • Sicilian: autunnu, otunnu
• North Italian:
  • Emilian: avtûn
  • Ligurian: autunno, autünu
  • Lombard: autün
  • Piedmontese: auton, oton, otont, autun, autugn, oteugn, otugn
  • Venetan: utuno, otuno
• Rhaeto-Romance:
  • Friulian: autun, atom
  • Ladin: altonn, utõn
  • Romansch: atun, utuon
• Gallo-Romance:
  • Old French: automne, autonne
    • French: automne
    • Walloon: ôtone
• Occitano-Romance:
  • Catalan: autumne (literary, see tardor)
  • Occitan: auton, autona; automne (Lengadocian)
• Ibero-Romance:
  • Asturian: otoñu
  • Galician: outono
  • Portuguese: outono
  • Spanish: otoño
• Insular Romance:
  • Sardinian: atonnu, atognu, atongiu, atonzu
• Borrowings:
  • → English: autumn
  • → Etruscan: 𐌀𐌕𐌖𐌍𐌄 (atune)

References

• “autumnus”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• autumnus in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)