Etymologically
Log in

seasonal

Etymology and origin of the English word seasonal

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1829
Ultimate origin
English (season)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈsiː.zən.əl/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from season and -al.[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Of or relating to the seasons: 1829 in Etymonline, 1838 in the OED and Merriam-Webster.[2][4][3]

Semantic evolution

Of the seasons of human life is from 1843,[4] and recurring periodically from 1880.[4] Of trades that depend on the seasons, and of workers employed only at certain seasons, it is from 1904.[4][2] A periodical issued at certain seasons was a seasonal from 1895.[4]

Timeline

  • 1829 – of the seasons.[2]
  • 1880 – periodical, recurrent.[4]
  • 1904 – seasonal work.[4][2]

Modern meaning

Adjective

  1. Of, depending on or happening at a particular season of the year: seasonal labour.

Word family

  • seasonality
  • seasonally
  • seasonalness
  • preseasonal
  • transseasonal
  • multiseasonal
  • nonseasonal
  • unseasonal

References

  1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  2. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
Cite this entry

“Seasonal.” Etymologically, 17 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/seasonal. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·