# winter
## English
### 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

* (Received Pronunciation) IPA: /ˈwɪntə/
* (General American, Canada) enPR: wĭnʹtər, IPA: /ˈwɪntɚ/, [ˈwɪɾ̃ɚ], [ˈwɪntʰɚ], [ˈwɪnɚ]
* Audio (General American); [ˈwɪntʰɚ]:(file)
* Audio (Canada, rare); [ˈwɪnɚ]:(file)
* Homophone: winner (US, Canada, some dialects)
* Hyphenation: win‧ter
* Rhymes: -ɪntə(ɹ)

### Noun

winter (countable and uncountable, plural winters)
* Traditionally the fourth of the four seasons, typically regarded as being from December to February 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.
** 1650, Thomas Browne, “Of the Cameleon”, in Pseudodoxia Epidemica: […], 2nd edition, London: […] A[braham] Miller, for Edw[ard] Dod and Nath[aniel] Ekins, […], →OCLC, 3rd book, 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, volume I, Longmans, Green and Co., published 1914, page 2:[…] a woman, tall, and strong of aspect, of some thirty winters by seeming, [...]
* (figuratively, poetic) The period of decay, old age, death, or the like.
** 1814, William Wordsworth, The Excursion:Life's autumn past, I stand on winter's verge.
** 2023, Ben Armstrong, Catching Up to Crypto, page 78:Buterin seemed to sense that the market was out of balance, and he made a smart decision that helped Ethereum weather the crypto winter and continue to build while the market was down.
* (countable, fashion) Someone with dark skin, eyes and hair, seen as best suited to certain colors of clothing.
* (obsolete) An appliance to be fixed on the front of a grate, to keep a kettle warm, etc.
* (India, archaic) The rainy season.
** 1584, Barret, in Hakl. ii. 413
    Note that the Citie of Goa is the principall place of all the Oriental India, and the winter thus beginneth the 15 of May, with very great raine.
** 1610, Finch, in Purchas, i. 423
    The Winter heere beginneth about the first of Iune and dureth till the twentieth of September, but not with continuall raines as at Goa, but for some sixe or seuen dayes every change and full, with much wind, thunder and raine.
** 1678, Fryer, 410
    In Winter (when they rarely stir) they have a Mumjama, or Wax Cloth to throw over it […]
** 1770,—Raynal, tr. 1777, i. 34
    The mere breadth of these mountains divides summer from winter, that is to say, the season of fine weather from the rainy […] all that is meant by winter in India is the time of the year when the clouds […] are driven violently by the winds against the mountains, […]

#### Usage notes

Note that season names are not capitalized in modern English except where any noun would be capitalized, e.g. at the beginning of a sentence or as part of a name (Old Man Winter, the Winter War, Summer Glau). This is in contrast to the days of the week and months of the year, which are always capitalized (Thursday or September).

#### Hyponyms

* AI winter
* atomic winter
* blackberry winter
* blackthorn winter
* dogwood winter
* General Winter
* impact winter
* Kondratiev winter
* Long Winter
* meteorological winter
* nuclear winter
* Russian winter
* Soviet winter
* volcanic winter

#### Derived terms

* Arab Winter
* Arctic Winter Games
* Austrian winter pea
* beady-legged winter horse tick
* bewinter
* buy straw hats in winter
* Canella winterana
* Chinese winter squash
* dead of winter
* Drimys winteri
* early-winter
* early winter cress
* East Indian winter jet
* Father Winter
* Fell Winter
* Fimbulwinter
* forwintered
* Hildewintera
* in-winter
* jacky-winter
* jacky winter
* late-winter
* love-in-winter
* Madeira winter cherry
* mid-winter
* midwinter
* Old Man Winter
* Operation Dark Winter
* outwinter
* out-winter
* overwinter
* Pseudowintera
* rere-winter
* Russian winter white dwarf hamster
* Spencer's winter vomiting
* squaw winter
* summer and winter
* twinter
* unwinter
* Villa Winter
* Western Winter Blast
* wild winterpea
* Winter
* Wintera
* winter aconite
* winterage
* winteran
* winter and winter
* winter annual
* winter apple
* winter barley
* winter-beaten
* winter bentgrass
* winterberry
* winter berry
* winter-bloom
* winter bloom
* winter blue
* winter blues
* winter book
* winter boot
* winter-bound
* winterbourne
* winter break
* winter bud
* winter bunting
* winter capital
* winter carnival
* winter cherry
* Winter Circle
* winter city
* winter-clad
* winter-close
* winter clover
* winter cluster
* Winter Coast
* winter coat
* winter corn
* winter cough
* winter count
* winter country
* winter-crack
* winter cress
* wintercress
* winter crookneck
* winter crookneck squash
* winter crop
* winter currant
* winter daffodil
* winter depression
* winter-dress
* winter duck
* winter dysentery
* winter eczema
* wintered
* Winter-een-mas
* winter egg
* winter falcon
* winter fallow
* winter fat
* winterfeed
* winter-feed
* winter fern
* Winterfest
* winter festival
* winter fever
* winter finch
* winter flounder
* winter-flower
* winter flowering cherry
* Winterfresh
* Winter Games
* winter garden
* winter gillyflower
* winter gnat
* winter gourd
* winter grape
* wintergreen
* winter greens
* winter-ground
* winter guard
* winter gull
* winter-gull
* winter-hained
* Winter Harbor
* Winter Harbour
* winter-hardy
* winterhardy
* Winter Haven
* Winterhaven
* winter hawk
* winter hazel
* winter heath
* winter heliotrope
* winter hellebore
* winter hemp
* Winter Hexagon
* Winter Hill
* winter holidays
* winterhouse
* winter-house
* Winteria
* winter ice
* winteridge
* winterim
* winterise
* winterish
* Winter Island
* winter itch
* winterize
* winter jasmine
* winter-kill
* winter kill
* winter-killed
* Winter King
* winterless
* Winter Line
* winterling
* winter lodge
* winter lodgment
* winter-long
* winter-love
* Winterlude
* winterly
* Winter Magic Festival
* winter marjoram
* winter melon
* winter melon vine
* winter mew
* winter-mew
* winter midge
* winter monsoon
* winter moon
* winter moth
* winter mushroom
* winter oats
* Winterocereus
* Winter of Discontent
* Winter of Nations
* winter oil
* winter-old
* Winter Olympic Games
* Winter Olympics
* winter ova
* winter-over syndrome
* winter packet
* Winter Palace
* Winter Park
* winter peach
* winter pear
* winter-pick
* winter-piece
* winter-pride
* winter-proud
* winter purslane
* winter quarters
* Winter Queen
* winter queening
* winter radish
* winter range
* winter rape
* winter rat
* winter redbird
* winter-rig
* winter road
* winter rocket
* winter rose
* winter rules
* winter-run fish
* winter rye
* winters
* winter salami
* winter savory
* winter's bark
* Winter's bark
* Winter's cinnamon
* winter scours
* winter shad
* winter-shad
* winter sheldrake
* winter sleep
* winter sleeper
* winter snipe
* winter solstice
* wintersome
* winter sport
* Winter Springs
* winter squash
* Winter's syndrome
* winter-stall
* winter storm
* winter story
* Winterstown
* winter strawberry
* winter sun
* winter sunstead
* Wintersville
* winter-sweet
* winter sweet
* wintersweet
* winter sweet marjoram
* winter swimmer
* winter tale
* winter teal
* winter-thorn
* winter tick
* wintertide
* winter-tide
* winter time
* wintertime
* winter-time
* winter tire
* Winter Triangle
* winter triathlon
* winter tyre
* winter urn
* winter vacation
* Winterval
* Winterville
* winter visitor
* winter vomiting disease
* winter wagtail
* Winter War
* winterward
* winterwards
* winter warfare
* winter warmer
* winter wash
* winter-weed
* winterweed
* winterweight
* winter-weight
* winter wheat
* Winter White House
* winter white Russian hamster
* winter wicket
* winter woolies
* winter woollies
* winter worm
* winter worm summer grass
* winter wren
* wintery
* wintrous
* wintry

#### See also

Seasons in English · seasons (layout · text) · category :
| spring | summer | autumn, fall | winter |

### Verb

winter (third-person singular simple present winters, present participle wintering, simple past and past participle wintered)
* (intransitive) To spend the winter (in a particular place).
    When they retired, they hoped to winter in Florida.
** 2022 December 27, “Ukraine war: Five ways conflict could go in 2023”, in BBC News‎:Those who seek to invade another country anywhere across the great Eurasian steppes are condemned eventually to winter in it.
* (transitive) To store something (for instance animals) somewhere over winter to protect it from cold.

#### Derived terms

* overwinter
* Wintered Over Device
* winterer
* wintering

#### Translations
### Anagrams

* Trewin, twiner

## Afrikaans
### Etymology

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

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈvən.tər/
* Audio:(file)

### Noun

winter (plural winters)
* winter

### See also

Seasons in Afrikaans · seisoene (layout · text) · category :
| lente, voorjaar (“spring”) | somer (“summer”) | herfs, najaar (“autumn”) | winter (“winter”) |

## Alemannic German
### Alternative forms

* wenter, wénter

### Etymology

From Middle High German winter, from Old High German wintar, from Proto-Germanic *wintruz. Cognate with German Winter, Dutch winter, English winter, Swedish vinter.

### Noun

winter m
* (Issime, Carcoforo) winter

### See also

Seasons in Alemannic German · Italian Walser (layout · text) · category :
| Carcoforo: ustog Formazza: langsé Gressoney: ustag Issime: oustaga Rimella: üstàg | ŝchummer summer sòmmer summer ŝchumer | herbscht herbscht herbscht hérbscht harpscht | winter wénter wénter winter wenter |

### References

* Patuzzi, Umberto, ed., (2013) Luserna / Lusérn: Le nostre parole / Ünsarne börtar / Unsere Wörter [Our Words], Luserna, Italy: Comitato unitario delle isole linguistiche storiche germaniche in Italia / Einheitskomitee der historischen deutschen Sprachinseln in Italien

## Dutch
### Etymology

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

### Pronunciation

* Audio:(file)
* IPA: /ˈʋɪn.tər/
* Hyphenation: win‧ter
* Rhymes: -ɪntər

### Noun

winter m (plural winters, diminutive wintertje n)
* winter
    De winter van dat jaar was bijzonder koud. ― The winter of that year was exceptionally cold.
    Kinderen speelden in de sneeuw tijdens de winter. ― Children played in the snow during the winter.
    Het wintertje was mild en aangenaam. ― The short winter was mild and pleasant.

#### Derived terms

* Hongerwinter
* midwinter
* overwinteren
* winterband
* winterdag
* winterdepressie
* winterdip
* wintereik
* winterhaven
* winterjas
* winterkleed
* winterkoning
* winterpeen
* winterpels
* winterpostelein
* winters
* winterslaap
* wintersport
* winterstorm
* wintervacht
* winterweer
* winterzonnewende

#### Descendants

* Afrikaans: winter
* Negerhollands: winter
* → Sranan Tongo: wenter

### See also

* Seasons in Dutch · seizoenen (layout · text) · category voorjaar (“spring”), lente (“spring”) zomer (“summer”) herfst (“autumn”), najaar (“autumn”) winter (“winter”)

## Middle Dutch
### Etymology

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

### Noun

winter m
* winter

#### Inflection

This noun needs an inflection-table template.

#### Derived terms

* wintersch
* middewinter
* wintercoude
* winterdach

#### Descendants

* Dutch: winter
** Afrikaans: winter
** Negerhollands: winter
** → Sranan Tongo: wenter
* Limburgish: wintjer

### Further reading

* “winter”, in Vroegmiddelnederlands Woordenboek, 2000
* Verwijs, E., Verdam, J. (1885–1929) “winter”, in Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek, The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, →ISBN

## Middle English
### Alternative forms

* wintere, wintre, wynter

### Etymology

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

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈwintər/

### Noun

winter (plural wintres)
* winter
** p. 1154, “AD 1137”, in Anglo-Saxon Chronicle (MS. Laud Misc. 636, continuation), Peterborough, folio 89, verso; republished at Oxford: Digital Bodleian, 2018 February 8:⁊ ð laſtede þa ·xix· ƿintre ƿile Stephne ƿaſ king ⁊ æure it ƿaſ uuerſe ⁊ uuerſe.And this lasted the 19 winters when Stephen was king, and it continually got worse and worse.

#### Descendants

* English: winter
* Scots: winter
* Yola: wonter

#### References

* “winter, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

### See also

Seasons in Middle English · sesounes (layout · text) · category :
| lenten, spryng | somer | hervest, autumpne | winter |

## Middle High German
### Alternative forms

* winder

### Etymology

From Old High German wintar, from Proto-West Germanic *wintru, from Proto-Germanic *wintruz.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: (before 13th CE) /ˈwintər/

### Noun

winter m
* winter

#### Related terms

* winterlich

#### Descendants

* Alemannic German: Winter
** Italian Walser: wénter, winter, wenter
** Swabian: Wender
* Bavarian: Winta
** Cimbrian: bintar
** Mòcheno: binter
** Udinese: binter, bintar
* Central Franconian: Wenter, Wengter (Ripuarian, now chiefly western dialects), Wonter, Wönter (Eifel)
** Hunsrik: Winter
** Luxembourgish: Wanter
* German: Winter
* East Central German:
** Silesian East Central German: Winter
** Vilamovian: wynter
* Yiddish: ווינטער (vinter)

### See also

Seasons in Middle High German · [Term?] (layout · text) · category :
| lenze (“spring”) | sumer (“summer”) | herbest (“autumn”) | winter (“winter”) |

### References

* Benecke, Georg Friedrich, Müller, Wilhelm, Zarncke, Friedrich (1863) “winter”, in Mittelhochdeutsches Wörterbuch: mit Benutzung des Nachlasses von Benecke, Stuttgart: S. Hirzel
* "winter" in Köbler, Gerhard, Mittelhochdeutsches Wörterbuch (3rd edition 2014)

## Old Dutch
### Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *wintruz.

### Noun

winter m
* winter

#### Descendants

* Middle Dutch: winter
** Dutch: winter
*** Afrikaans: winter
*** Negerhollands: winter
*** → Sranan Tongo: wenter
** Limburgish: wintjer

#### Further reading

* “winter”, in Oudnederlands Woordenboek, 2012

## Old English
### Etymology

From earlier *wintr < *wintru, from Proto-Germanic *wintruz. Cognate with Old Frisian winter, Old Saxon wintar, Old Dutch winter, Old High German wintar, Old Norse vetr, Gothic 𐍅𐌹𐌽𐍄𐍂𐌿𐍃 (wintrus).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈwin.ter/

### Noun

winter m
* winter
** late 9th century, translation of Bede's Ecclesiastical History
    ...þis ēalond hafað myċele lengran dagas on sumera, ⁊ swā ēac nihta on wintra, þonne ðā sūðdǣlas middanġeardes....this island has much longer days in the summer, and equally longer nights in the winter, than the southern parts of the world..
* year
** The Dialogues of Solomon and Saturn
    Iċ ðē seċġe lxxx wintra of ðām trēowcynne ðe is nemned Sem.I tell thee, eighty years, of the wood that is called Sem
** The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
    An. DCCXLI Hēr Æþelheard cing forðferde, ⁊ feng Cūþrēd tō Westseaxna rīċe, ⁊ heold XXVI wintra, ⁊ heardlīċe hē ġewann wiþ Æþelwald cing. ⁊ Cūþbriht wæs tō arċebisċeope ġehālgod, ⁊ Dunn bisċeop tō Hrofesċeastre.Year 741 In this year King Aethelhard died, and Cuthred ascended to the West Saxon throne. He held it for 26 years, and fought bravely against King Aethelwald. And Cuthbright was ordained archbishop, and Dunn ordained bishop of Rochester.

#### Usage notes

The dative/instrumental usually retains the older u-stem form wintra, even in later Old English.

#### Declension

Strong a-stem:

#### Derived terms

* midwinter
* winterlǣċan
* winterlīċ
* -wintre
* wintres dæġ
* wintriġ

#### Descendants

* Middle English: winter, wintere, wintre, wynter
** English: winter
** Scots: winter
** Yola: wonter

### See also

Seasons in Old English · tīde (layout · text) · category :
| lencten (“spring”) | sumor (“summer”) | hærfest (“autumn”) | winter (“winter”) |

### References

* Joseph Bosworth and T. Northcote Toller (1898) “winter”, in An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary‎, 2nd edition, Oxford: Oxford University Press.

## Scots
### Etymology

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

### Noun

winter (plural winters)
* winter

## West Frisian
### Etymology

From Old Frisian winter, from Proto-Germanic *wintruz.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈvɪntər/

### Noun

winter c (plural winters, diminutive winterke)
* winter

#### Derived terms

* wintermoanne

#### See also

Seasons in West Frisian · seizoenen (layout · text) · category :
| maaitiid (“spring”), foarjier (“spring”) | simmer (“summer”) | hjerst (“autumn”), neijier (“autumn”) | winter (“winter”) |

#### Further reading

* “winter”, in Wurdboek fan de Fryske taal (in Dutch), 2011