# Indian summer

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈɪn.dɪ.ən ˈsʌ.mə(ɹ)/

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

## 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.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-09-03.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/indian-summer