autumn ( n mute)

[In Fr. automne; Sp. otono; Port. outono; Ital. autunno; Lat. auctumnus ( autumn us is le correct), auctus = increase, growth, abundance; auctus, pa. par. of augeoto increase. While the words spring, summer, and winter came to us from our Anglo-Saxon ancestors, the term autumn was borrowed from the Romans.] 1. Lit .: The season of the year which follows summer and precedes the winter. Astronomically, it is considered to extend from the autumnal equinox, September 23, in which the sun enters Libra, to the winter solstice, December 22, in which he enters Capricorn. Popularly, it is believed to embrace the months of August, September, and October. 2. Fig .: The decline of human life; the whole term of man's existence being tacitly compared to a year. "Life's autumn past, I stand on winter's verge.' Words worth Excursion, bk. v. autumn-field, 8. A field as it looks in autumn, when harvest is in progre . (Tennyson: The Prince , iv. 24.)