OK, so what Mav found is the correct details that i almost got right.. until 1664 (and that a record date for the use of the word in source it was most likely in spoken use long before that,) the season was 'harvest', but then fall began to be used (Noun sense of "autumn" (now only in U.S.) is 1664), and about the same time, autumn began to be used as well, (Harvest was the Eng. name for the season until autumn began to displace it 16c)
so both Fall and Autumn started to displace Harvest at the same time englanders were moving to NE. (mid 1600's) Fall won out here, (but we also know autumn) Autumn won out in UK, (and the meaning of Fall as a season was lost in UK)
Harvest is still used in a festive sense -- Harvest moon, and Harvest festivals and what not --well it is here, i presume its also used in UK as as well.
so i got the gist of right, and sjm posted almost at the same time (not a mantle, dear, just proof that great minds do think alike!) and Mav got down and dirty and gave us the facts!
in the book Year of Wonder, set in 1663, the narrator calls the time of year 'leaf fall' and harvest. She uses 'leaf fall' as chapter heading, and both words in the text. i didn't include 'leaf fall' as interesting word, because i thought it too common and well known.
While those in UK and up under don't use Fall, and we USer's don't use 'lorry', i think they represent words we we know, even if we don't generally use them.
