autumn, season of the year between summer and winter during which temperatures gradually decrease. It is often called fall in the United States because leaves fall from the trees at that time.

Where do they call autumn fall?

Although both fall and autumn stem from Britain, autumn was the more popular word for a long time. Both have had their ups and downs in popularity. It wasn't until the 1800s that American English and British English took unofficial stances on these words: fall is the word of choice in the U.S. and autumn in Britain.

Where does the term fall come from?

The word “fall” comes from the Old English feallan, which means, “to drop from a height, fail, decay, die.” Over time, of course, the phrase “fall of the leaf” was shortened simply to “fall.”