season

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. One of the four natural divisions of the year, spring, summer, fall, and winter, in the North and South Temperate zones. Each season, beginning astronomically at an equinox or solstice, is characterized by specific meteorological or climatic conditions.
2. n. The two divisions of the year, rainy and dry, in some tropical regions.
3. n. A recurrent period characterized by certain occurrences, occupations, festivities, or crops: the holiday season; tomato season.
4. n. A suitable, natural, or convenient time: a season for merriment.
5. n. A period of time: gone for a season.
6. v. To improve or enhance the flavor of (food) by adding salt, spices, herbs, or other flavorings.
7. v. To add zest, piquancy, or interest to: seasoned the lecture with jokes.
8. v. To treat or dry (lumber, for example) until ready for use; cure.
9. v. To render competent through trial and experience: a lawyer who had been seasoned by years in the trial courts.
10. v. To accustom or inure; harden: troops who had been seasoned in combat. See Synonyms at harden.
11. v. To moderate; temper.
12. v. To become usable, competent, or tempered.
13. idiom. in season Available or ready for eating or other use.
14. idiom. in season Legally permitted to be caught or hunted during a specified period.
15. idiom. in season At the right moment; opportunely.
16. idiom. in season In heat. Used of animals.
17. idiom. out of season Not available, permitted, or ready to be eaten, caught, or hunted.
18. idiom. out of season Not at the right or proper moment; inopportunely.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. A particular period of time. Specifically
2. n. The period of the year in which something is more in vogue than at others, as that in which a particular place is most frequented by visitors, or shows most bustling activity, or when a particular trade, business, or profession is in its greatest state of activity: as, the holiday season; the hop-picking season; the London season; the Newport season; the theatrical season; the peach season.
3. n. A convenient or suitable time; the right time; period of time that is natural, proper, or suitable. See phrases below.
4. n. A period of time, in general; a while; a time.
5. n. Seasoning; that which gives relish, or preserves vigor or freshness.
6. n. Having the pelage in good order, as fur-bearing animals. This is usually in winter.
7. n. In good flesh, as beasts, birds, fishes, shell-fish, etc.
8. n. Affording good sport, as birds well grown and strong of wing.
9. n. Migrating, and therefore numerous, or found where not occurring at some other time, as birds or fish.
10. n. Allowed by law to be killed, as any game.
11. n. Seasonably; opportunely; at the right time; soon enough: as, to go to the theater in season for the overture.
12. n. Not in season, as game; not in good condition for the table. In general, animals are out of season when breeding.
13. To render suitable or appropriate; prepare; fit.
14. To fit for any use by time or habit; habituate; accustom; mature; inure; acclimatize.
15. To bring to the best state for use by any process: as, to season a cask by keeping liquor in it; to season a tobacco-pipe by frequently smoking it; to season timber by drying or hardening, or by removing its natural sap.
16. To fit for the taste; render palatable, or give a higher relish to, by the addition or mixture of another substance more pungent or pleasant: as, to season meat with salt; to season anything with spices.
17. To render more agreeable, pleasant, or delightful; give a relish or zest to by something that excites, animates, or exhilarates.
18. To render more agreeable or less rigorous and severe; temper; moderate; qualify by admixture.
19. To gratify; tickle.
20. To imbue; tinge or taint.
21. To preserve from decay; keep sweet or fresh.
22. To impregnate.
23. To become mature; grow fit for use; become adapted to a climate, as the human body.
24. To become dry and hard by the escape of the natural juices, or by being penetrated with other substance.
25. To give token; smack; savor.

Wiktionary

1. n. Each of the four divisions of a year: spring, summer, autumn and winter; yeartide.
2. n. A part of a year when something particular happens: mating season, rainy season, football season.
3. n. obsolete That which gives relish; seasoning.
4. n. cricket The period over which a series of Test matches are played.
5. n. North America A group of episodes of a television or radio program broadcast in regular intervals with a long break between each group, usually with one year between the beginning of each.
6. v. transitive To flavour food with spices, herbs or salt.
7. v. transitive To make fit for any use by time or habit; to habituate; to accustom; to inure; to ripen; to mature; as, to season one to a climate.
8. v. transitive Hence, to prepare by drying or hardening, or removal of natural juices; as, to season timber.
9. v. intransitive To become mature; to grow fit for use; to become adapted to a climate.
10. v. intransitive To become dry and hard, by the escape of the natural juices, or by being penetrated with other substance; as, timber seasons in the sun.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. One of the divisions of the year, marked by alterations in the length of day and night, or by distinct conditions of temperature, moisture, etc., caused mainly by the relative position of the earth with respect to the sun. In the north temperate zone, four seasons, namely, spring, summer, autumn, and winter, are generally recognized. Some parts of the world have three seasons, -- the dry, the rainy, and the cold; other parts have but two, -- the dry and the rainy.
2. n. Hence, a period of time, especially as regards its fitness for anything contemplated or done; a suitable or convenient time; proper conjuncture.
3. n. A period of time not very long; a while; a time.
4. n. obsolete That which gives relish; seasoning.
5. v. To render suitable or appropriate; to prepare; to fit.
6. v. To fit for any use by time or habit; to habituate; to accustom; to inure; to ripen; to mature.
7. v. Hence, to prepare by drying or hardening, or removal of natural juices.
8. v. To fit for taste; to render palatable; to give zest or relish to; to spice.
9. v. Hence, to fit for enjoyment; to render agreeable.
10. v. To qualify by admixture; to moderate; to temper.
11. v. To imbue; to tinge or taint.
12. v. rare To copulate with; to impregnate.
13. v. To become mature; to grow fit for use; to become adapted to a climate.
14. v. To become dry and hard, by the escape of the natural juices, or by being penetrated with other substance.
15. v. obsolete To give token; to savor.

WordNet 3.0

1. v. make more temperate, acceptable, or suitable by adding something else; moderate.
2. v. make fit
3. n. a period of the year marked by special events or activities in some field
4. n. a recurrent time marked by major holidays
5. n. one of the natural periods into which the year is divided by the equinoxes and solstices or atmospheric conditions
6. v. lend flavor to