Indian summer

== English == === Etymology === Of North American origin, exact etymology uncertain. The most plausible suggestions are that Native Americans (or American Indians) called it a form of “summer” due to harvesting late plants or preparing for winter, or that European settlers coined it due to various Native American activities in this season, or due to the weather phenomenon being associated with regions inhabited by Native Americans. Alternatively, the use of the word Indian may indicate something deviating from the norm: compare terms like Indian bread, Indian corn. === Pronunciation === (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈɪn.dɪ.ən ˈsʌ.mə(ɹ)/ (General American) IPA(key): /ˈɪn.di.ən ˈsʌ.mɚ/ Hyphenation: In‧di‧an sum‧mer === Noun === Indian summer (plural Indian summers) (possibly offensive) A stretch of sunny and warm, often hazy, days during late autumn. [from late 18th c., popularized in the early 19th c.] (figuratively) The late autumn of life; a late flowering of activity before old age. [from early 19th c.] Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see Indian,‎ summer. ==== Usage notes ==== In the northeastern region of the United States, the term refers to a phenomenon occurring from late October through November. However, depending on the geographical region to which it is applied, it may occur from as early as September to as late as January in the northern hemisphere. Some people restrict the term to several days of warm weather after there has already been a frost. By the 20th century, the term had displaced earlier ones like all-hallown summer, St. Luke's summer, and St. Martin's summer that had described a similar phenomenon. Due to its supposed use of Indian to mean "abnormal" or "different from the norm", the term has seen controversy as possibly being a racist term against Indians and Native Americans. ==== Synonyms ==== (stretch of warm days in autumn): St. Luke's summer (St. Luke's little summer, little summer of St. Luke) (in October), all-hallown summer, St. Martin's summer (in November), Michaelmas summer ==== Coordinate terms ==== blackberry winter squaw winter ==== Descendants ==== → French: été des Indiens, été indien ==== Translations ==== === References === === Further reading === Indian summer on Wikipedia.Wikipedia Gary Martin (1997–), “Indian summer”, in The Phrase Finder, retrieved 24 October 2017.