prīma vēra

Meaning

1. Late Latinearly spring

Origins

From the plural of prīmum vēr, turned into a feminine noun. Attested in Late Latin glosses. Originally referred to the early part of spring, but eventually took on the general sense of 'spring' in all descendant languages, some later than others. This semantic shift pushed the derivatives of Vulgar Latin *vēra and *vērānum, which had originally meant 'spring', into taking on the sense of 'summer' in the Balkans and Iberia respectively.