Autumn

What do you call the season between the end of summer and the beginning of winter? Fall? Autumn? Something else?
 
There are many words in the English language that begin with ‘au’ (from Greek autos, meaning self); for example, authentic, author, authority, autism, autocrat, autograph, automatic, autopsy, and so on. Autumn is not one of these words.
 
The words spring, summer, and winter all have origins in Proto-Indo-European (PIE). However, there is no indication that autumn has PIE origins; in fact, the early origins of the word autumn are unknown. What is known is that the word autumpne came to English in the late 14th century from 13th century Old French autumpne and Latin autumnus—all words relating to the season. The word autumn appears in the 16th century.
 
What about the word ‘fall’? The traditional English name for the season was harvest. Another traditional term for the season was ‘fall of the leaf’ or simply ‘the fall’. By the 16th century, the word harvest was displaced by autumn; however, the word fall continued to be used.
 
The word fall, rather than autumn, is more commonly used in the United States than in England. Presumably early immigrants from England to America brought this more traditional word with them before the word autumn had become well-established.
 
Reference: Online Etymological Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com/
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