English

Noun

Indian summer ‎(plural Indian summers)

1. a stretch of sunny and warm days during late autumn
   • 1778, J. Hector St. John de Crèvecœur, Letters from an American Farmer, (published 1782, letter dated 1778), "German-flats, 17 Janvier, 1778":

     Then a severe frost succeeds which prepares it to receive the voluminous coat of snow which is soon to follow; though it is often preceded by a short interval of smoke and mildness, called the Indian Summer.

   • 1882, Gilbert Parker, Pierre And His People:

     There is sunshine in the face of all — a kind of Indian summer sunshine, infused with the sadness of a coming winter.

   • 2004, August Kleinzahler, London Review of Books, 19 Aug 2004:

     It was a warm night, Indian summer. The whole city seemed to be out of doors. It was like an enormous block party.

2. (figuratively) the late autumn of life; a late flowering of activity before old age
   • 2004, The Washington Post, 15 June, 2004:

     This kind of activism is often the hallmark of people in their Indian summer season. Their energy is fueled by a sense of urgency that is lacking in youth.

Usage notes

Used across varied regions and months – worldwide, from as early as September to as late as January in the northern hemisphere. Various prescriptive usage specifies various conditions, particular regions, or times of year, particularly restricting it to several days of warm weather after there has already been a frost. Narrowly speaking, originally late October through November in US Northeast.

Synonyms

• (stretch of warm days in autumn): St. Luke's summer (in October), St. Martin's summer (in November), Michaelmas summer

Translations

References

1. ↑ “Indian summer”, The Phrase Finder, Gary Martin.
2. ↑ Matthews, 73
3. ↑ Matthews, 73–79

• Matthews, Albert (January 1902). “The Term Indian Summer”. Monthly Weather Review 30: 19–28.
• Matthews, Albert (February 1902). “The Term Indian Summer”. Monthly Weather Review 30: 69–79.
• Deedler, William (Fall 1996). “Just What Is Indian Summer And Did Indians Really Have Anything To Do With It?”. National Weather Service Detroit office.