Search for: Christmas
561 Etymology dictionary, p. night (n.).4
… Weihnachten "Christmas," literally "holy night." In early times, the day was held to begin at sunset, so Old English monanniht "Monday night" was the night before …
562 Etymology dictionary, p. Noel (n.).2
… , nouel "Christmas, the Feast of the Nativity," from Old French noel "the Christmas season," variant of nael, from Latin natalis (dies) "birth (day)," used in Church Latin …
563 Etymology dictionary, p. pantomime (n.).3
… at Christmas and with words and songs and stock characters, are attested by this name from 1739; said to have originated c. 1717. Related: Pantomimic; pantomimical …
564 Etymology dictionary, p. putz (n.).2
… a Christmas tree" (1873), from Pennsylvania Dutch (German), which retains the old German sense.
565 Etymology dictionary, p. quarter day (n.).2
… ), and Christmas day (Dec. 25); in Scotland, keeping closer to the pre-Christian Celtic calendar, they were Candlemas (Feb. 2), Whitsunday (May 15), Lammas (Aug. 1), and Martinmas …
566 Etymology dictionary, p. rest (v.2).5
… . The Christmas carol lyric God rest ye merry, gentlemen, often is mispunctuated.
567 Etymology dictionary, p. Santa Claus (n.).2
… ). Father Christmas is attested from 1650s.
568 Etymology dictionary, p. Scrooge (n.).2
… "A Christmas Carol." It does not appear to be a genuine English surname; in old dictionaries it is an 18c. variant of scrouge "to squeeze, press, crowd (someone)," also …
569 Etymology dictionary, p. shopping (n.).3
… purchase Christmas gifts, by 1881.
570 Etymology dictionary, p. snapdragon (n.).2
… a Christmas game of plucking raisins from burning brandy and eating them alight, from 1704.
571 Etymology dictionary, p. stocking (n.).4
… for Christmas presents, attested from 1830 in American English; hence stocking-stuffer (1891); stocking-filler (1862). By 1873 as a place to hide one's money or …
572 Etymology dictionary, p. turkey (n.).4
… English Christmas. Meaning "inferior show, failure," is 1927 in show business slang, probably from the bird's reputation for stupidity. Meaning "stupid, ineffectual …
573 Etymology dictionary, p. twelfth (adj., n.).3
As a noun meaning "a twelfth part," from 1550s. Twelfth Night is Old English twelftan niht "Twelfth Night," the eve of Epiphany, which comes twelve days after Christmas, formerly an occasion of social rites and a time of merrymaking.
574 Etymology dictionary, p. victim (n.).2
… Weihnachten "Christmas") on notion of "a consecrated animal."
575 Etymology dictionary, p. wassail.3
… in Christmas Eve celebrations. Meaning "a carousal, reveling" first attested c. 1600. Wassailing "custom of going caroling house to house at Christmas time …
576 Etymology dictionary, p. white (adj.).6
… . White Christmas in reference to snow is attested from 1847. White House as the name of the U.S. presidential residence is recorded from 1811. White water "river …
577 Etymology dictionary, p. yule (n.).2
… , geola "Christmas Day, Christmastide," which is cognate with Old Norse jol (plural), the name of a heathen feast, later taken over by Christianity; the Germanic …
578 Etymology dictionary, p. yule (n.).3
After conversion to Christianity the word narrowed to mean "the 12-day feast of the Nativity" (which began Dec. 25), but was replaced by Christmas by 11c., except in the northeast (areas of Danish settlement), where it remained the usual word.
579 Etymology dictionary, p. yule (n.).4
… "the Christmas of 'Merrie England.' " First direct reference to the Yule log is 17c. According to some sources, Old Norse jol was borrowed into Old French as jolif …
580 International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, p. Dionysia.4
… our Christmas. On the first day (11th of the month) the wine-cask was opened; on the second was the feast of pitchers. Wine was drunk, and contests in trumpet-playing …