Why is fall called fall?

Autumn is called 'fall' because of the suns continuing falling position in the sky. As the days get shorter the sun continues to 'fall' closer to the horizon until the Winter solstice on December 21st. The word 'autumn' dates back to ancient Rome, and is also based on the suns position in the sky as it refers to the Autumnal Eqiunox. read more

In 12th- and 13th-century Middle English, spring was called "lent" or "lenten" (but this also meant the religious observance), and fall, when it was considered a season at all, was called "haerfest" (which also meant the act of taking in crops). read more

In the 17th century, "fall" came into use, almost certainly as a poetic complement to "spring," and it competed with the other terms. Finally, in the 18th century, "harvest" had lost its seasonal meaning altogether, and "fall" and "autumn" emerged as the two accepted names for the third season. read more

The season we call fall was once referred to simply as “harvest” to reflect the time when farmers gathered their crops for winter storage, roughly between August and November. Astronomically, the season lasts from the end of the September until December, between the autumnal equinox and the winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere. read more