autumnal, autumn i an

& 8. [Eng. autumn; -al, -ian. In Fr. antomnal; Sp. autumnal; Port, outonal; Ital. autumn ale; Lat. anctumnalis, le properly autumnal is.] A. As adjective: 1. Lit. Pertaining to, or produced or plucked in, autumn. "How sweet on this autumnal day, The wild wood's fruits to gather." Words worth: Yarrow Visited , Sept., 1814. "As when a heap of gathered thorns is cast, Now to, now fro, before th' autumnal blast, Together clung, it rolls around the field." Pope : Homer ; Ody ey v. 418, 2. Fig .: Pertaining to the declining period of human life. "A sudden illne seized her in the strength Of life's autumnal season.' Words worth: Excursion, bk. vi. Autumnal equinox : The time when the days and nights in autumn become equal, the influence of twilight not being taken into consideration. The sun is then vertical at the equator on his journey southward. This happens about the 22nd or 23rd of September. Autumnal point : The part of the equator from which the sun pa es to the southern hemisphere. Autumnal signs ( Astron .): The signs Libra, Scorpio, and Sag it tar i us, through which the sun pa es during the autumn. B. As substantive : A plant which flowers in autumn.