Emily Dickinson Lexicon

HAR'VEST, n. [Sax. hærfest, harfest, harvest, autumn; G. herbst; D. herfst. This word signifies autumn, and primarily had no reference to the collection of the fruits of the earth; but in German, herbstzeit is harvest-time. It seems to be formed from the G. herbe, harsh, keen, tart, acerb, L. acerbus, and primarily it refers to the cold, chilly weather in autumn in the north of Europe. This being the time when crops are collected in northern climates, the word came to signify harvest.]

1. The season of reaping and gathering in corn or other crops. It especially refers to the time of collecting corn or grain, which is the chief food of men, as wheat and rye. In Egypt and Syria, the wheat harvest is in April and May; in the south of Europe and of the United States, in June; in the northern states of America, in July; and in the north of Europe, in August and September. In the United States, the harvest of maiz is mostly in October.
2. The ripe corn or grain collected and secured in barns or stacks. The harvest this year is abundant.
3. The product of labor; fruit or fruits. Let us the harvest of our labor eat. Dryden.
4. Fruit or fruits; effects; consequences. He that sows iniquity will reap a harvest of woe.
5. In Scripture, harvest signifies figuratively the proper season for business. He that sleepeth in harvest, is a son that causeth shame. Prov. x. Also, a people whose sins have ripened them for judgment. Joel iii. Also, the end of the world. Matth. xiii. Also, a seasonable time for instructing men in the Gospel. Matth. ix.