harvest etymology

Etymology

The word "harvest" comes from the Old English word "hærfest," which is derived from two words:

  • "Hær" (army): This refers to the collective effort required to gather crops.
  • "Fest" (feast): This refers to the celebration that followed a successful harvest.

Meaning and Origin

The word "harvest" has two primary meanings:

  1. The act of gathering crops: This involves cutting, threshing, and collecting the mature plants from the field.

  2. The season or period when crops are gathered: This typically occurs in the fall or autumn months.

The origin of the word "harvest" reflects the importance and significance of this activity in human history. In early agricultural societies, a successful harvest was crucial for survival and prosperity. The act of harvesting was often accompanied by rituals and celebrations to honor the deities who were believed to influence the growth and abundance of crops.

Over time, the word "harvest" has expanded in its usage and is now applied to a wide range of activities that involve gathering or reaping the fruits of one's labor, such as:

  • Harvesting fish from the ocean
  • Harvesting timber from forests
  • Harvesting organs for transplantation
  • Harvesting data from surveys or experiments

harvest relate terms

  • autumn

    Etymology of autumn The word autumn derives from the Latin autumnus which origina

  • harvest

    Etymology The word harvest comes from the Old English word hærfest which is derived

  • fall

    Etymology Middle English fallen Old English feallan Proto Germanic fallaną Meani

  • fall

    Etymology Middle English fallen Old English feallan Proto Germanic fallaną Meani

  • crop

    Etymology The word crop comes from the Middle English word cropp which in turn deri

  • reap

    Etymology Middle English repen Old English rīpan Proto Germanic ripaną Proto Indo

  • glean

    Etymology Middle English glenen from Old English glenian which means to pick up

  • earn

    Etymology Middle English ernen from Old English earnian to get obtain or acquire

  • vintage

    Etymology The word vintage comes from the Latin word vindemia which means grape ha

  • excerpt

    Etymology The word excerpt comes from the Latin word excipere which means to take

  • thanksgiving

    Etymology Thanksgiving is a compound word derived from the following sources Thank f

  • take

    Etymology Etymology is the study of the origin and history of words It seeks to trace t

  • pare

    Etymology Latin parere to give birth to produce Meaning To bring into being

  • pear

    Etymology Middle English pere pere from Anglo French pere from Old French peire po