Autumn
(also known as fall in American English) is one
of the four temperate seasons.
Autumn marks
the transition from summer into winter, usually in March
(Southern Hemisphere) or September
(Northern
Hemisphere) when the arrival of night becomes noticeably
earlier.
The word autumn comes from the Old French word autompne
(automne in modern French), and was later normalised
to the original Latin word autumnus.
There are rare examples of its use as early as the 12th
century, but it became common by the 16th century.