vernal

adjective

ver·​nal ˈvər-nᵊl How to pronounce vernal (audio)
1
: of, relating to, or occurring in the spring
vernal equinox
vernal sunshine
2
: fresh or new like the spring
also : youthful
vernally adverb

Did you know?

If you want to sound sophisticated this spring, you can do what various learned individuals have done since the 16th century and refer to the spring equinox as the vernal equinox. You might also alter a classic rhyme to chant "Vernal showers bring May flowers." Or if you really want to wax poetic, you could compliment your lass's vernal grace or your beau's vernal charm. If you do, and your sweetheart asks where such a word comes from, you can further impress by saying, "'Vernal,' my dear, comes from the Latin 'vernalis,' which is derived from the Latin word for spring, 'ver.'"

Examples of vernal in a Sentence

trees and flowers in vernal bloom
Recent Examples on the Web In the Northern Hemisphere, the vernal, or spring equinox is March 19, marking the start of the spring season. USA TODAY, 4 Mar. 2024 This month’s vernal equinox—when the length of the day and night are the same everywhere in the world—creates the cosmic conditions for more intense and frequent northern lights (aurora borealis). Jamie Carter, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 Spring will arrive on the vernal equinox, which this year happens at 11:06 p.m. on Tuesday, March 19. Chad Murphy, The Enquirer, 23 Feb. 2024 Our current calendar uses the tropical year, the time from vernal equinox to vernal equinox, to account for subtle effects such as . Phil Plait, Scientific American, 23 Feb. 2024 If there was no Leap Day, annual events including the summer and winter solstices or vernal and autumnal equinoxes would shift around to later in the year. Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 1 Feb. 2024 The spring, or vernal, equinox happens around March 19-20 and, like the autumnal equinox, is when the day and night are of equal length. Carlie Procell, The Courier-Journal, 25 Jan. 2024 The equinoxes have opposite dates in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres – the March vernal equinox in the Northern Hemisphere is the autumnal equinox in the Southern, and vice versa. Clare Mulroy, USA TODAY, 20 Feb. 2024 The date is different every year and falls on the first Sunday of the first full moon after the vernal equinox, also called the Paschal Full Moon. Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 30 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'vernal.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Latin vernālis, from vernus "of spring" (going back to pre-Latin *u̯esri-no-, adjective derivative from the base of Latin vēr "spring") + -ālis -al entry 1; vēr "spring," going back to Indo-European *u̯ḗs-r̥-, *u̯es-n̥-s, whence also Old Norse vár "spring," Old Frisian wars, wērs, Welsh gwanwyn (Old Welsh guiannuin, from British Celtic *u̯esantēno-), Middle Irish errach (probably from *u̯esrāko-, with generalization of the lenited initial consonant), Old Church Slavic vesna, Russian vesná, Lithuanian vãsara "summer," Greek éar "spring" (from *u̯ehar, from *u̯esr̥), Armenian garun (gar- from *gehar-, from *u̯esr̥- + a suffix), Sanskrit vasantá-, Avestan vaŋri (locative) "in the spring"

First Known Use

1530, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of vernal was in 1530

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Cite this Entry

“Vernal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vernal. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

vernal

adjective
ver·​nal ˈvərn-ᵊl How to pronounce vernal (audio)
: of, relating to, or occurring in the spring
the vernal equinox

More from Merriam-Webster on vernal

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