late-season

The compound "late-season" is a modern English formation combining two ancient roots. "Late" originates from a Proto-Germanic word conveying slowness or tardiness, evolving to denote the latter part of a period. "Season" has a more complex journey, stemming from the Latin satio, which specifically meant the act of sowing. This meaning broadened in Old French to denote the appropriate time for sowing, and eventually, in English, generalized to any distinct period of the year marked by particular conditions or activities. The logic of the compound is transparent: it directly applies the temporal sense of "late" to the defined period of a "season," specifying something that occurs toward its end.

Structure: late (after the expected time) + season (a period of the year) - late: From Old English læt (slow, tardy), of Germanic origin; related to German lass (idle, weary). Functions as an adjective modifying the noun. - season: From Old French seison, from Latin sation-, satio (sowing), from serere (to sow). Functions as the primary noun being modified.