a. [ L. auctumnalis, autumnalis: cf. F. automnal. ] 1. Of, belonging to, or peculiar to, autumn; as, an autumnal tint; produced or gathered in autumn; as, autumnal fruits; flowering in autumn; as, an autumnal plant. [ 1913 Webster ]
Thick as autumnal leaves that strow the brooks
In Vallombrosa. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]
2. Past the middle of life; in the third stage. [ 1913 Webster ]
An autumnal matron. Hawthorne. [ 1913 Webster ]
Autumnal equinox, the time when the sun crosses the equator, as it proceeds southward, or when it passes the autumnal point. --
Autumnal point, the point of the equator intersected by the ecliptic, as the sun proceeds southward; the first point of Libra. --
Autumnal signs, the signs Libra, Scorpio, and Sagittarius, through which the sun passes between the autumnal equinox and winter solstice. [ 1913 Webster ]