a. (and sb.). Also 6–7 vernall. [ad. L. vernāl-is (rare), f. vernus pertaining to spring, f. vēr spring, VER sb.1 So OF. and F., Prov., Sp., Pg. vernal It. vernale.]
1. Coming, appearing, happening, occurring, etc., in spring. a. Vernal equinox (or † equinoctial): see EQUINOX 1 and 2.
1534. More, Treat. Passion, Wks. 1303/1. The xiiii. daye after theyr vernall Equinoctiall in the euenynge.
1594. Blundevil, Exerc., I. xvi. (1597), 151. The beginning of Aries, which is called the vernal Equinoxe.
1607. Topsell, Hist. Four-f. Beasts, 299. From the vernall æquinoctiall to the summer solstice.
1696. Whiston, The. Earth, I. (1722), 39. At this time, the Vernal Equinox is on the 9th of March.
1715. trans. Gregory’s Astron. (1726), I. 316. You will have the Longitude sought from the Vernal Equinox.
1796. H. Hunter, trans. St.-Pierre’s Stud. Nat. (1799), I. 155. The tides at our vernal Equinox, in March, rise higher than those of September.
1837. Brewster, Magnet., 216. During the three months between the vernal equinox and the summer solstice.
1858. Lockyer, Elem. Astron., § 171. The days and nights are equal all over the world on the 22d of March and the 22d of September, which dates are called the vernal and autumnal equinoxes.
b. In general use.
1634. Sir T. Herbert, Trav., 4. Such time as the Sunne is vernall, [the Island of Ferro] becomes exceeding hot and scalding.
1660. Sharrock, Vegetables, 52. Which are generall rules for vernall and autumnall settings.
1709. T. Robinson, Vind. Mosaick Syst., 69. These Worms are … ordained for the Food of the Vernal Birds, such as the Cuckow.
1769. Gray, Installation Ode, 61. Sweet is the breath of vernal shower.
1787. Winter, Syst. Husb., 54. The vernal heat of the sun.
1820. Combe, Syntax, Consol., I. (Chandos Cl.), 139. ’Twas as a vernal evening clos’d.
1842. J. Wilson, Chr. North, I. 244. The whole building is … as fresh as if just washed by a vernal shower.
1872. Yeats, Growth Comm., 24. The Babylonian plain was subject to vernal floods.
c. Med. Of affections or diseases.
1822–7. Good, Study Med. (1829), II. 134. The vernal agues generally disappear with the advance of summer.
1843. Sir T. Watson, Lect. Princ. & Pract. Physic, I. xl. 710. You will hear and read a good deal of vernal intermittents, and autumnal intermittents.
2. Of, pertaining or belonging to, the springtime; appropriate to the spring; spring-like: a. Of weather, scenery, etc.
1611. Beaum. & Fl., Maid’s Trag., I. ii. We must have none here But vernal blasts, and gentle winds appear.
1634. T. Johnson, trans. Parey’s Chirurg., I. xiii. (1678), 18. Such an Air,… if it have a vernal temper, is good against all diseases.
1646. Crashaw, Sospetto d’Herode, xiv. He saw a vernall smile sweetly disfigure Winters sad face.
1720. Prior, Truth & Falsehood, 8. The purling stream, the margin green, With flowers bedeck’d, a vernal scene.
1778. Warton, Hist. Eng. Poetry, II. 51. We fondly anticipate a long continuance of gentle gales and vernal serenity. But winter returns with redoubled horrors.
1822. W. Irving, Braceb. Hall, xix. It was a beautiful morning, of that soft vernal temperature, that seems to thaw all the frost out of one’s blood.
1847. L. Hunt, Jar Honey, ii. (1848), 23. Both heaven and hell are in it—the freshest vernal airs, with the depths of Tartarus.
1871. B. Taylor, Faust (1875), II. I. i. 6. The Alpine meadows sloping, vernal, A newer beam descends.
transf. 1869. Lowell, Under the Willows, 39. By vernal Chaucer, whose fresh woods Throb thick with merle and mavis all the year.
b. Vernal season, the season of spring.
1644. Milton, Educat., 7. In these vernal seasons of the yeer, when the air is calm and pleasant.
1687. Miége, Gt. Fr. Dict., II. The Vernal Season, or the Spring, le Printems.
1806. Med. Jrnl., XV. 120. In the vernal season.
1864. A. McKay, Hist. Kilmarnock, 296. In the vernal season of the year.
c. In miscellaneous uses.
1725. Fam. Dict., s.v. Sallet, They also make an excellent Vernal Pottage.
1764. Goldsm., Trav., 118. Whatever sweets salute the northern sky With vernal lives, that blossom but to die.
1817. Wordsw. (title), Vernal Ode. Beneath the concave of an April sky [etc.].
1838. J. L. Stephens, Trav. Russia, 67/1. Moscow seemed basking in the mild climate of Southern Asia, rioting in its brief period of vernal existence.
1885. Pater, Marius, I. vi. 112. A kind of mystic hymn to the vernal principle of life in things.
d. fig. Suggestive of spring; having the mildness or freshness of spring; early, youthful.
1790. Coleridge, Monody Death Chatterton, viii. Ah! where are fled the charms of vernal grace, And joy’s wild gleams, light-flashing o’er thy face?
1805. Foster, Ess., I. i. 11. What is become of all those vernal fancies, which had so much power to touch the heart?
1827. Southey, Funeral Song Princess Charlotte, 17. Late in beauty’s vernal bloom.
1844. Mrs. Browning, Catarina to Camoens, ii. When I heard you sing that burden In my vernal days and bowers.
1898. T. Hardy, Wessex Poems, 100. Captain and Colonel, Sere Generals, Ensigns vernal, Were there.
3. Of flowers, plants, etc.: Appearing, coming up, or blooming in spring-time.
1695. Ld. Preston, Boeth., III. 121. Fading sooner than a vernal Flower!
1728. Pope, Dunc., III. 33. As thick as bees o’er vernal blossoms fly.
1742. Collins, Ode to Liberty, 4. The youths,… Like vernal hyacinths in sullen hue, At once the breath of fear and virtue shedding.
1799. Med. Jrnl., II. 491. A Journal kept in Spring 1798, to record the time of flowering of several vernal plants.
1812. H. & J. Smith, Horace in Lond., 65. The wood nymphs crown’d with vernal flow’rs.
b. In specific or popular names of flowers, plants or grasses, as vernal crocus, cyclamen, gentian, sandwort, sedge, squill, etc. (see quots. and cf. SPRING sb.1 7 c a).
1778. Encycl. Brit. (ed. 2), III. 2311. The varieties of the *vernal crocus are, the small and large [etc.].
1882. Garden, 18 March, 188/3. The common Vernal Crocus … is so predominant among spring flowers.
1725. Fam. Dict., s.v. Cyclamen, Our Botanists reckon upon several Sorts of this Plant … as the *Vernal one;… another white Vernal single, and the small Purple Cyclamen.
1728. R. Bradley, Dict. Bot., Gentianella minor Verna, the smaller *Vernal Gentian.
1796. Withering, Brit. Plants (ed. 3), II. 282. I thought it possible that the vernal dwarf Gentian … might be our plant.
1882. Garden, 18 Nov., 442/3. The lovely Vernal Gentian.
1753. Chambers’ Cycl., Suppl., s.v. Orobus, The *vernal, wood orobus, with a pale red flower.
1731. Miller, Gard. Dict., s.v. Orobus, *Vernal Purple-Wood Bitter-Vetch.
1848. Johns, Week at Lizard, 303. Arenaria verna, variety Gerardi, *Vernal Sandwort, is a small plant with numerous needle-like leaves, and star-like flowers of the most dazzling white.
1859. Miss Pratt, Brit. Grasses, 39. Order. Cyperaceæ…. *Vernal Sedge…. A humble plant from 3–8 inches high.
1796. Withering, Brit. Plants (ed. 3), II. 13. Veronica verna.… *Vernal Speedwell.
1855. Miss Pratt, Flower. Pl., IV. 102. Vernal Speedwell…. This very rare Speedwell … has … pale blue flowers.
1796. Withering, Brit. Pl., II. 338. Scilla verna.… *Vernal Squill. [Grows in] meadows and pastures.
1832. Johnston, in Proc. Berw. Nat. Club, I. 10. It was … believed that the vernal squill was peculiar to the western coasts of England.
1796. Withering, Brit. Pl., II. 5. Callitriche verna.… *Vernal Stargrass. Water Starwort. Water Fennel.
1855. Miss Pratt, Flower. Pl., II. 296. Callitriche verna. *Vernal Water Starwort.
c. Vernal grass, one of the grasses commonly cultivated for hay.
1762. B. Stillingfleet, Misc. Tracts (1791), 382. I saw this spring a meadow not far from Hampstead … with some of the vernal grass and the corn brome grass.
1765. Museum Rust., IV. 428. The vernal, or spring grass, we find in the class Diandria Digynia.
1799. J. Robertson, Agric. Perth, 208. The meadow fescue … and the sweet scented vernal grass (anthoxanthum odoratum).
1802. Med. Jrnl., VIII. 477. The vernal grass (Anthoxanthum odoratum, L.) which is frequently met with in hay.
1857. Miller, Elem. Chem., Org., 489. This substance [i.e., coumarin] is found … in the sweet scented vernal grass, to which much of the fragrance of hay is owing.
d. Sown in the spring.
1792. A. Young, Trav. France, 331. They sow here a vernal rye, which is a true spring corn, that will not succeed if sown in autumn.
4. Comb., as vernal-bearded, -seeming, -tinctured adjs.
1744. Akenside, Pleas. Imag., II. 104. The melting rainbow’s vernal-tinctured hues.
1857. Whittier, Last Walk Autumn, iv. And that the vernal-seeming breeze Mocked faded grass and leafless trees.
1874. L. Morris, Old Maytide, iii. Here be stalwart youths and lissome, honest-eyed and vernal bearded.
5. ellipt. or as sb. † a. The vernal season; the spring. Obs.–1
1654. E. Johnson, Wonder-wrkg. Provid., 106. The vernall of the yeare 1637. being now in his prime.
b. = Vernal grass (see 3 c above).
1771. Young, Farmer’s Tour East Eng., II. 256. The grass has consisted chiefly of the holchus,… a little meadow fox tail, and great poa:… it is remarkable that no vernal has appeared.
1834. Brit. Husb., I. 514. Anthoxanthum odoratum, or sweet-scented vernal, is one of the earliest of our grasses.
1908. Animal Managem., 114. The aroma of good hay is due to the aromatic grasses contained in it, Sweet Vernal being the variety which is mainly responsible.
c. pl. Seeds of vernal grass. rare–1.
1784. Trans. Soc. Arts, II. 60. Mix the Vernals and Hay seeds together.
Hence Vernally adv. rare.
1727. Bailey (vol. II.), Vernally, according to or in the Spring of the Year.
1888. Ainger, Lett., in Sichel, Life (1906), xiii. 235. He thinks the Tweens are also vernally cleaning themselves.
