Etymology Map
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Summer

3 stages from Proto-Germanic to English.

Today it means the warmest season of the year

Where does the word "summer" come from? It comes from Proto-Germanic sumaraz, passing through Old English before entering English (1500s).

1
Stage 1 of 3
sumaraz
Proto-Germanic · ancient
"summer"
related to Sanskrit 'samā', year, season
2
Stage 2 of 3
sumor
Old English · 700s-1000s
"summer"
the Anglo-Saxons divided the year into two halves, summer and winter
3
Stage 3 of 3
summer
English · 1500s
"summer"
'Indian summer', a warm spell in autumn, is American, from the 1770s
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Read the full story

Summer’s story begins in Proto-Germanic: sumaraz meant “summer.” Related to Sanskrit 'samā', year, season. By 700s-1000s, the word had taken hold in Old English as sumor. The Anglo-Saxons divided the year into two halves, summer and winter. It reached English by 1500s as summer. 'Indian summer', a warm spell in autumn, is American, from the 1770s. Today, summer means the warmest season of the year.