Etymology

Christmas tree

Christ·mas tree

Today it means: An evergreen tree (usually a conifer), or an artificial tree made to resemble this, which is typically decorated with lights and ornaments and often an angel or star at its tip, and used as a decoration during the Christmas holiday season. Full definition →

German Weynacht Baum
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The story

  1. German · calque ofWeynacht Baum
  2. English todayChristmas tree

PIE word *dóru From Christmas + tree, a calque of German Weynacht Baum (obsolete, 17th c.), Weihnachtsbaum, from Weynacht, Weihnacht (literary or poetic variant of Weihnachten (“Christmas”)) + -s- (genitive interfix) + Baum (“tree”). The custom of Christmas trees was adopted in the United Kingdom from Germany in the 19th century, having been popularized by their use by the royal family during the reign of Queen Victoria from 1837 to 1901. Sense 3 (“Christmas party”) refers to the fact that there is usually a Christmas tree (sense 1) at the event.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.