Summer

n. One who sums; one who casts up an account.

n. [A-S. sumor, sumer, O. Sax. sumar, sumer, O. Fries. sumur, somer, O. H. Ger. & Icel. sum'r, N. H. Ger. & Dan. sommer, D. zomer, Sw. sommar.] The season of the year in which the sun shines most directly upon any region; the warmest period of the year; especially, north of the equator, the months of June, July, and August.

Indian summer, in the United States, a period of warm weather late in autumn, usually characterized by a clear sky, and by a hazy or smoky appearance of the atmosphere, especially near the horizon. The name is derived from the custom of the Indians to use this time in preparation for winter by laying in stores of food, or from their belief that it was caused by a wind blowing directly from the court of the south-western god.

The south-west is the pleasantest wind which blows in New England. In the month of October, in particular, after the frosts which commonly take place at the end of September, it frequently produces two or three weeks of fair weather, in which the air is perfectly transparent, and the clouds, which float in the sky, of the purest azure, are adorned with brilliant colors. . . . This charming season is called the Indian summer, a name which is derived from the natives, who believe that it is caused by a wind which comes immediately from the court of their great and benevolent God Cautantowwit, or the south-western god. Freeman.

The short season of pleasant weather usually occurring about the middle of November is called the Indian summer, from the custom of the Indians to avail themselves of this delightful time for harvesting their corn. . . . It is a bland and genial time, in which the birds, insects, and plants feel a new creation. . . . The sky, in the mean time, is generally filled with a haze of orange and gold intercepting the direct rays of the sun, yet possessing enough of light and heat to prevent sensations of gloom or chill, while the nights grow sharp and frosty, and the necessary fires give cheerful forecast of the social winter evenings near at hand. Nat. Intelligencer.

Summer-complaint (Med.), diarrhea occurring in summer;—often applied also to dysentery and cholera infantum. Dunglison.—Summer-rash, a species of rash caused by excessive heat, consisting of small bright-red pimples, accompanied by heat, itching, and pricking. Dunglison.—Summer-wheat, wheat that is sown in the spring, and matures during the summer following; spring-wheat. See SPRING-WHEAT.

v. t. To keep or carry through the summer.

n. [Fr. sommier, a rafter. See SUMPTER.] (Arch.) A large stone or beam placed horizontally on columns, piers, posts, or the like, serving for various uses; as, (a,) The lintel of a door or window. (b.) The commencement of a cross vault. (c.) A central floor timber, inserted into the girders, and receiving the ends of the joists and supporting them;—called also summer-tree, and seen chiefly in old buildings.