winter

Alternative forms

• Winter

Etymology

From Middle English winter, from Old English winter, from Proto-Germanic *wintruz (“winter”). Cognate with West Frisian winter (“winter”), Dutch winter (“winter”), German Winter (“winter”), Danish, Swedish and Norwegian vinter (“winter”), Icelandic vetur (“winter”).

Pronunciation

• enPR: wĭnʹtər
  • (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈwɪntə(ɹ)/
  • (General American, Canada) IPA^(key): /ˈwɪntɚ/, [ˈwɪɾ̃ɚ]

  • Audio (US, former)

    (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪntə(ɹ)
• Homophone: winner (US, Canada, some dialects)

Noun

winter (countable and uncountable, plural winters)

Winter in Austria

1. Traditionally the fourth of the four seasons, typically regarded as being from December 23 to March 20 in continental regions of the Northern Hemisphere or the months of June, July and August in the Southern Hemisphere. It is the time when the sun is lowest in the sky, resulting in short days, and the time of year with the lowest atmospheric temperatures for the region.
   • a1420, The British Museum Additional MS, 12,056, “Wounds complicated by the Dislocation of a Bone”, in Robert von Fleischhacker, editor, Lanfranc's "Science of cirurgie."‎, London: K. Paul, Trench, Trübner & Co, translation of original by Lanfranc of Milan, published 1894, →ISBN, page 63:

     Ne take noon hede to brynge togidere þe parties of þe boon þat is to-broken or dislocate, til viij. daies ben goon in þe wyntir, & v. in þe somer; for þanne it schal make quytture, and be sikir from swellynge; & þanne brynge togidere þe brynkis eiþer þe disiuncture after þe techynge þat schal be seid in þe chapitle of algebra.

   • 1592, Shakespeare, Henry VI, Part 1:

     And after summer evermore succeeds / Barren winter, with his wrathful nipping cold.

   • 1646, Thomas Browne, “Of the Cameleon”, in Pseudodoxia Epidemica: Or, Enquiries into Very Many Received Tenents, and Commonly Presumed Truths, London: Printed for Tho. Harper for Edvvard Dod, OCLC 838860010; Pseudodoxia Epidemica: Or, Enquiries into Very Many Received Tenents, and Commonly Presumed Truths. […], book 3, 2nd corrected and much enlarged edition, London: Printed by A. Miller, for Edw[ard] Dod and Nath. Ekins, […], 1650, OCLC 152706203, page 133:

     It cannot be denied it [the chameleon] is (if not the moſt of any) a very abſtemious animall, and ſuch as by reaſon of its frigidity, paucity of bloud, and latitancy in the winter (about which time the obſervations are often made) will long ſubſist without a viſible ſuſtentation.

   • 1785, William Cowper, “Tirocinium: or, A Review of Schools." in The Poems of William Cowper, Vol. II., The Press of C. Whittingham (1822), page 174:

     There shall he learn, ere sixteen winters old, / That [...]

   • 1897, William Morris, The Water of the Wondrous Isles, Vol. I, Longmans, Green and Co. (1914), page 2:

     [...] a woman, tall, and strong of aspect, of some thirty winters by seeming, [...]

2. (figuratively, poetic) The period of decay, old age, death, or the like.
   • (Can we date this quote?), Wordsworth, (Please provide the book title or journal name):

     Life's autumn past, I stand on winter's verge.

Verb

winter (third-person singular simple present winters, present participle wintering, simple past and past participle wintered)

1. (intransitive) To spend the winter (in a particular place).

   When they retired, they hoped to winter in Florida.

2. (transitive) To store something (for instance animals) somewhere over winter to protect it from cold.

Anagrams

• twiner

Etymology

From Dutch winter.

Noun

winter (plural winters)

1. winter

Noun

winter

1. (Issime, Carcoforo) winter

References

• Umberto Patuzzi, ed., (2013) Ünsarne Börtar [Our Words]. Luserna: Comitato unitario delle linguistiche storiche germaniche in Italia / Einheitskomitee der historischen deutschen Sprachinseln in Italien.

Etymology

From Middle Dutch winter, from Old Dutch *wintar, from Proto-Germanic *wintruz.

Pronunciation

• audio

  (file)

• IPA^(key): /ˈʋɪn.tər/

Noun

winter m (plural winters, diminutive wintertje n)

1. winter

See also

• (seasons) seizoen, jaargetijde; lente/voorjaar, zomer, herfst/najaar, winter

Etymology

From Old Dutch *wintar, from Proto-Germanic *wintruz.

Noun

winter m

1. winter

Further reading

• “winter”, in Vroegmiddelnederlands Woordenboek, 2000
• “winter”, in Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek, 1929

Alternative forms

• wintere, wintre

Etymology

From Old English winter; in turn from Proto-Germanic *wintruz.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈwintər/

Noun

winter (plural winteres or winters)

1. winter

See also

Alternative forms

• ƿinter

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *wintruz, whence also Old Frisian winter, Old High German and Old Saxon wintar, Old Norse vetr and vintr, Gothic 𐍅𐌹𐌽𐍄𐍂𐌿𐍃 (wintrus). Perhaps represents a nasalised variant of Proto-Indo-European *wed- (whence also English water, wet); but perhaps akin to Old English winistre (“left (side)”), with original sense possibly a cardinal direction or possibly "unfavorable" .

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈwinter/

Noun

winter m

1. the winter (season)
2. a year

Etymology

From Middle English winter, Old English winter, from Proto-Germanic *wintruz.

Noun

winter (plural winters)

1. winter

Etymology

From Old Frisian winter, from Proto-Germanic *wintruz. Compare Dutch and English winter, German Winter, Danish vinter.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /vĩtər/

Noun

winter c (plural winters)

1. winter