Vernal means relating to spring, the season when winter's cold loosens its grip and the world comes back to life. When scientists talk about the vernal equinox, they mean that specific day in March when day and night are equal in length, marking spring's official beginning in the Northern Hemisphere.

You might read about vernal pools, temporary ponds that form in spring from melting snow and rain, providing crucial habitats for frogs and salamanders. A poet might describe vernal breezes carrying the scent of cherry blossoms, or vernal sunshine warming the earth after months of cold.

The word comes from Latin ver, meaning spring, and it carries a feeling of renewal and fresh beginnings. While you could simply say “spring” in most cases, vernal adds a more formal, poetic quality. It's the kind of word you'll encounter in nature writing, scientific texts, and literature when the author wants to emphasize spring's special character: that sense of the world waking up, growing green, and bursting into bloom.