Altweibersommer

Meaning

1. (masculine, strong) loose gossamer or cobwebs found in the air or on the ground
2. (masculine, strong) Indian summer (a stretch of warm days in autumn)

Concepts

Indian summer

St. Martin's summer

Martinmas summer

early fall

gossamer

mild fall weather

St Luke's little summer

mild autumn weather

indian summer

early autumn

Synonyms

Spätsommer

Nachsommer

warmer Herbsttag

zweiter Frühling

Mariensommer

Indianersommer

Frauensommer

Indian Summer

Translations

estate di San Martino

estate indiana

été indien

été des Indiens

veranillo de San Martín

été de la Saint-Martin

pastırma yazı

filandre

été de la Saint Martin

filandres

été

🏖️

γαϊδουροκαλόκαιρο

kalokeráki

Pronounced as (IPA)

/altˈvaɪ̯bɐˌzɔmɐ/

Etymology

Cognate with Hungarian: vénasszonyok nyara

Cognate with Polish: babie lato

Cognate with Czech: babské léto

Cognate with Russian: ба́бье ле́то

Cognate with Belarusian: ба́біна ле́та

Cognate with Ukrainian: ба́бине лі́то

Cognate with English: old wives' summer

Cognate with English: web

Cognate with English: gossamer

Cognate with Scots: goesomer

Cognate with Dutch: zomerdraden

In summary

At least in the meaning "Indian summer", seemingly from alt (“old”) + Weiber (“women's”) + Sommer (“summer”), literally "old women's summer". Compare Hungarian vénasszonyok nyara, Polish babie lato, archaic Czech babské léto, Russian ба́бье ле́то (bábʹje léto), Belarusian ба́біна ле́та (bábina ljéta), Ukrainian ба́бине лі́то (bábyne líto), and English old wives' summer; compare also German Mädchensommer (literally “girls' summer”); the Polish and Czech terms for the season are also used for the webs. DWDS suggests the use for cobwebs could be comparing them to old women's white hair, like the name of the wood anemone, Altweibergras, and a regional name for cottongrass, alte Mägde. Alternatively, the middle element Weib may be a regional variant of Spinnwebe (“spider's web”) (cognate to English web), or related to weben (meaning, and related to, weave).
Compare English gossamer, traditionally taken to be from "goose summer" and to have originally referred to the season (like Scots goesomer (“St Martin's summer”)) and then to webs; DWDS considers the connection of that word with summer and this word with Sommer (“summer”) uncertain, but besides other summery words for the webs like Sommerfäden (literally “summer threads”) (cognate to Dutch zomerdraden (literally “summer-threads”)), fliegender Sommer (“strands of web”), and Mariensommer, there are words like Herbstfäden (literally “autumn threads”).