Indian summer

Meaning

1. (offensive, possibly) A stretch of sunny and warm, often hazy, days during late autumn.
2. (figuratively) The late autumn of life; a late flowering of activity before old age.
3. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see Indian, summer.

Synonyms

Saint Martin’s summer

St. Martin's summer

Martinmas summer

mild autumn weather

gossamer

St Luke's little summer

mild fall weather

early autumn

early fall

Translations

Altweibersommer

estate di San Martino

été indien

été de la Saint-Martin

estate indiana

été des Indiens

été

🏖️

veranillo de San Martín

veranico

Spätsommer

zweiter Frühling

kalokeráki

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈɪn.dɪ.ən ˈsʌ.mə(ɹ)/

Etymology

Of North American origin, exact etymology uncertain. The most plausible suggestions are that Native Americans (or American Indians) called it a form of “summer” due to harvesting late plants or preparing for winter, or that European settlers coined it due to various Native American activities in this season, or due to the weather phenomenon being associated with regions inhabited by Native Americans. Alternatively, the use of the word Indian may indicate something deviating from the norm: compare terms like Indian bread, Indian corn.