This is the 1775th most frequent Russian word.
зима
"Зима" means "winter."
Here, 'зима' is used as a noun referring to the season of winter.
Зима в этом году выдалась снежной.
This year, the winter turned out to be snowy.
In this sentence, 'зима' is personified as a character, embodying winter as a personality.
В сказке зима была злой и суровой старухой.
In the fairy tale, winter was portrayed as an evil and harsh old woman.
Here, 'зима' signifies the arrival of the winter season and is the subject of the action in the sentence.