Sum"mer , v. t. To keep or carry
through the summer; to feed during the summer; as, to summer stock.
Sum"mer , v. i. [imp. & p. p. Summered (?);
p. pr. & vb. n.
Summering.]
To pass the summer; to spend the warm season; as, to summer in
Switzerland.
The fowls shall summer upon them.
Isa.
xviii. 6.
Sum"mer , n. [OE.
sumer, somer, AS. sumor,
sumer; akin to OFries.
sumur, D. zomer, OS.
sumar, G. sommer, OHG. & Icel.
sumar, Dan. sommer, Sw. sommar,
W. haf, Zend hama, Skr. samā year.
√292.]
The season of the
year in which the sun
shines most directly upon any region; the warmest period of the
year.
&fist; North of the
equator summer is popularly taken to include the months of June, July,
and August. Astronomically it may be
considered, in the northern hemisphere, to begin with
the summer solstice, about June 21st, and to end with the autumnal equinox, about September 22d.
Indian summer, in North America, 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 probably from the custom of
the Indians of using this time in
preparation for winter by laying in stores of food. -- Saint Martin's summer. See under Saint. -- Summer bird (Zoöl.), the wryneck. [Prov. Eng.]
-- Summer colt, the undulating state of the
air near the surface of the ground
when heated. [Eng.] -- Summer complaint
(Med.), a popular term for any
diarrheal disorder
occurring in summer, especially when produced by heat and indigestion. -- Summer coot (Zoöl.), the American gallinule.
[Local, U.S.]
-- Summer cypress
(Bot.), an annual plant (Kochia
Scoparia) of the Goosefoot family. It has narrow, ciliate, crowded leaves, and is sometimes seen in gardens. -- Summer duck. (Zoöl.) (a) The wood duck. (b) The garganey, or summer teal. See Illust. of Wood duck, under Wood. -- Summer fallow, land uncropped
and plowed, etc., during the summer, in order to pulverize the soil and kill
the weeds. -- Summer
rash (Med.), prickly heat. See under Prickly. -- Summer sheldrake
(Zoöl.), the hooded merganser. [Local, U.S.] --
Summer snipe.
(Zoöl.) (a) The dunlin. (b)
The common European sandpiper.
(c) The green sandpiper. --
Summer tanager
(Zoöl.), a singing bird (Piranga
rubra) native of the Middle and Southern United States. The male is deep
red, the female is yellowish olive above and yellow beneath. Called also summer redbird. -- Summer teal (Zoöl.), the blue-winged teal. [Local, U.S.] -- Summer wheat, wheat that is
sown in the
spring, and matures during the summer following. See Spring wheat. -- Summer yellowbird. (Zoöl.) See Yellowbird.
Sum"mer , n. [F. sommier a rafter, the same word as
sommier a beast of burden. See Sumpter.]
(Arch.) A large stone or beam placed horizontally on columns,
piers, posts, or the like, serving for various uses. Specifically: (a) The lintel of a door or window. (b) The commencement of a cross vault. (c) A central floor timber, as a girder, or a piece
reaching from a wall to a girder. Called also summertree.
Sum"mer (?), n. [From Sum, v.]
One who sums; one who casts up an
account.
Hear it pronounced