Freshly picked blackberries in early August tell a simple story in English — a black berry — but the word’s roots run deep. Across Europe, languages link the fruit to brambles, bears, or mulberries. Discover the etymology of ‘blackberry’ from Old English blæcberie to Latin morum and beyond.

Discover the history of the season’s names — from Old English ‘hærfest’ and ‘hærfestmonað’ through Latin ‘autumnus’ to the English ‘fall of the leaf’. Learn how harvest, autumn, and fall each reflect different traditions.

Where does the word ‘September’ come from? From Latin ‘septem’ meaning ‘seven’, the name once marked the seventh month of Rome’s calendar. In Old English it was the holy month or harvest month, and in Norse tradition the autumn month — each pointing to September as a time of reaping, rites and new beginnings.

Where does the word ‘sage’ come from? From Latin ‘salvia’ meaning ‘healing plant’, the name travelled through French into English, and has since appeared across dozens of languages — each with its own take on this resilient herb.