Midsummer

Midsummer

Noun / Adjective · /ˈmɪdˌsʌm.ər/

Definition

(Noun) the period around the summer solstice, approximately 21 June in the Northern Hemisphere; the middle of summer; (Adjective) occurring in or characteristic of the middle of summer.

Origin

From Old English midsumor (midsummer, the summer solstice period), from mid (middle) + sumor (summer). The compound is ancient and was associated with the pre-Christian solstice festival, later Christianised as the Feast of St John the Baptist (24 June). Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, written around 1595–1596, is one of the most famous uses of the word in English cultural history. Midsummer Eve (23 June) and Midsummer Day (24 June) were important dates in the pre-modern calendar.