I. sea ‧ son 1 S2 W1 /ˈsiːz ə n/ BrE AmE noun
[ Date: 1300-1400 ; Language: Old French ; Origin: saison , from Latin satio 'act of planting seeds' , from serere 'to sow' ]
1 . TIME OF YEAR [countable] one of the main periods into which a year is divided, each of which has a particular type of weather. The seasons are spring, summer, autumn, and winter:
the effect on plants as the seasons start to change
2 . USUAL TIME FOR SOMETHING [countable usually singular] a period of time in a year during which a particular activity takes place, or during which something usually happens:
the first game of the season
the football/cricket etc season
the end of the football season
the racing/fishing/hunting etc season
The racing season starts in June.
Some footpaths are closed during the shooting season.
out of season (=when an activity is not allowed)
He was caught fishing out of season.
season for
The season for strawberries (=when they are available to buy) usually starts in early June.
the rainy/wet/dry season (=the time when it rains a lot or does not rain at all)
African rivers turn to hard mud during the dry season.
the growing/planting etc season
The planting season is in spring, with harvest in the fall.
3 . HOLIDAY [singular, uncountable] the time of the year when most people take their holidays
high/peak season (=the busiest part of this time)
There are two boat trips a day, more in high season.
low/off season (=the least busy part of this time)
An off-season break costs £114.
out of season
It’s quieter out of season.
tourist season (also holiday season )British English :
We arrived at the height of the tourist season (=the busiest time) .
the holiday season American English (=Thanksgiving to New Year, including Christmas, Hanukkah etc)
the festive season British English (=Christmas and New Year)
4 . FASHION [singular] the time in each year when new styles of clothes, hair etc are produced and become fashionable:
This season’s look is fresh and natural.
5 . be in/out of season vegetables and fruit that are in season are cheap and easily available because it is the time of year when they are ready to eat. If they are out of season, they are expensive or not available:
Vine tomatoes are in season from April to October.
6 . FILMS, PLAYS ETC [countable usually singular] a series of films, plays, television programmes etc that are shown during a particular period of time
season of
a new season of comedy on BBC1
summer/fall etc season
The network has several new dramas lined up for the fall season.
Glyndebourne’s season opens with a performance of Tosca.
7 . ANIMALS [singular] the time of the year when animals are ready to have sex
the mating/breeding season
Their dog was coming into season.
8 . season’s greetings written used on cards to tell someone you hope they have a happy Christmas, Hanukkah etc
9 . the season of goodwill old-fashioned the time around Christmas
⇨ ↑ close season , ↑ open season , ↑ silly season
• • •
COLLOCATIONS (for Meaning 2)
■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + season
▪ a good/successful season
The club has had another successful season.
▪ a poor/disappointing season
It's been a disappointing season for Arsenal.
▪ the football/cricket etc season
The football season will be starting soon.
▪ the hunting/shooting/fishing season
Autumn was traditionally the hunting season.
▪ the holiday season (=when most people go on holiday)
The roads are always busy during the holiday season.
▪ the tourist season (=when a lot of tourists visit an area)
It's almost impossible to get a hotel room in the tourist season.
▪ the rainy/wet/dry season (=when the weather is rainy, wet, dry etc)
In the rainy season, roads became a quagmire.
▪ the growing/planting etc season (=for growing or planting crops)
The growing season is short in these mountainous areas.
▪ the festive season (=the period around Christmas)
More people are choosing to go abroad for the festive season.
• • •
THESAURUS
■ preparing food
▪ grate to cut cheese, carrot etc into small pieces by rubbing it against a special tool:
Grate the cheese and sprinkle it over the top of the pasta.
▪ melt to make butter, chocolate etc become liquid:
Melt the butter, chocolate, and 1 teaspoon of cream over a low heat.
▪ sieve British English , sift American English to put flour or other powders through a ↑ sieve (=tool like a net made of wire, which you use for removing larger grains or pieces) :
Sift the flour and cocoa before adding to the rest of the mixture.
▪ chop to cut something into pieces, especially using a big knife:
Chop up the vegetables.
▪ dice to cut vegetables or meat into small square pieces:
Dice the carrots and then fry them in butter.
▪ season to add salt, pepper etc to food:
Season the meat before grilling.
▪ crush to use a lot of force to break something such as seeds into very small pieces or into a powder:
Add one clove of crushed garlic.
▪ mix to combine different foods together:
Mix together all the ingredients in one bowl.
▪ beat/whisk to mix food together quickly with a fork or other tool:
Whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks.
▪ stir to turn food around with a spoon:
Stir the sauce gently to prevent burning.
▪ fold something in to gently mix another substance into a mixture:
Fold in the beaten egg whites.
▪ knead to press ↑ dough (=a mixture of flour and water) many times with your hands when you are making bread:
Knead the dough for ten minutes, until smooth.
▪ drizzle to slowly pour a small amount of a liquid onto something:
Drizzle with olive oil.
▪ let something stand to leave something somewhere, before you do something else with it:
Let the mixture stand for a couple of hours so that it cools naturally.
▪ serve to put different foods together as part of a meal:
Serve with rice and a salad.
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Serve the aubergines on a bed of lettuce.
II. season 2 BrE AmE verb [transitive]
[ Date: 1300-1400 ; Language: Old French ; Origin: assaisoner 'to ripen, season' , from saison ; ⇨ ↑ season 1 ]
1 . to add salt, pepper etc to food you are cooking
season something with something
Season the chicken with pepper.
Mix and season to taste (=add the amount of salt etc that you think tastes right) .
2 . to prepare wood for use by gradually drying it