This noun denotes summer, the season between spring and autumn. All three occurrences appear in the parable of the fig tree budding, signaling that 'summer is near.' Jesus uses this natural observation as a parallel to eschatological signs in the Olivet Discourse (Matthew 24:32, Mark 13:28, Luke 21:30). Classical usage includes summer as the campaigning season, harvest time, summer fruits or crops, and even metaphorically for the ripeness or flourishing of youth. The New Testament use is strictly seasonal and literal, focused on the recognizable transition from spring to summer as an analogy for recognizing the approach of God's kingdom.