The noun χειμα (cheima) means winter (the season), and thus winter weather, cold, frost and snow. This word stems from the same Proto-Indo-European root "gey-", winter, that gave English the verb to hibernate.

From the same root comes the name of the fire-breathing monster Χιμαιρα (Chimaira), which was named after the noun χιμαιρα (chimaira), meaning she-goat, from χιμαρος (chimaros), he-goat, which was a synonym of τραγος (tragos), also he-goat, from which comes the noun τραγωδια (tragodia), tragedy. Why goats were named after tragedy and winter isn't immediately clear but perhaps because their proverbial counterparts, sheep, provided harvests of wool, whereas goats stayed relatively bristly, perhaps reminiscent of a shrub in winter. The Hebrew word for hair is שער (se'ir), whereas שעיר (sa'ir) means he-goat and שער (sa'r) means horror.

The Greek word for summer, namely θερος (theros), is closely related to θεραπων (therapon), which described a healer: specifically one who provided warmth. In our article on the verb ιαομαι (iaomai), to heal or repair, we argue that blindness relates to coldness of heart and is in effect a winter sickness (whereas lameness is a summer sickness, brought about by too much heat, which leads to easy abundance and inactivity and complacency).

Our noun is not used in the New Testament, but from it come: