Christmastide

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noun

The Twelve Days of Christmas; the period from Christmas Day to Epiphany.

Similar
yuletideChristmasChristmastimeYuleNoel
OriginEnglish Christmas ← Middle English Cristemasse ← Old English Cristes mæsse →
RareScrabble 21
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Meanings

nounChristmastide (countable and uncountable, plural Christmastides)

plural Christmastides · alternative Christmas-tide

  1. countableuncountableThe Twelve Days of Christmas; the period from Christmas Day to Epiphany.
  2. countableuncountableThe Christmas season.

    Synonyms: yuletide

Synonyms & antonyms

nounThe Christmas season.

Similar
yuletide

More synonyms by meaning

nounperiod extending from Dec. 24 to Jan. 6

Similar
ChristmasChristmastimeYuleYuletideNoel
Broader
season
Also see
adventchristmaschristmas seasonchristmastimeholiday seasonnoeltwelve days of christmasyuleyuletide

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*gʰer-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*gʰrey-
  3. Ancient Greekχρίω (khríō)
  4. Ancient Greekχρῑστός (khrīstós)
  5. Biblical Hebrewמָשִׁיחַ (mašīaḥ)
  6. Aramaicܡܫܺܝܚܳܐ (m'šīḥāʿ)
  7. Ancient GreekΧρῑστός (Khrīstós)
  8. LatinChrīstus
  9. Old EnglishCrist
  10. Proto-Indo-European*mey-?
  11. Proto-Indo-European*meyth₂-
  12. Proto-Indo-European*méyth₂eti
  13. Proto-Italic*meitō
  14. Old Latinmītō
  15. Latinmittō
  16. Latinmissiō
  17. Latinmissa
  18. Old Englishmæsse
  19. Old EnglishCristes mæsse
  20. Middle EnglishCristemasse
  21. EnglishChristmas
  22. EnglishChristmastide

From Christmas + -tide (“period around a festival”).

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

Christmastide. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Christmastide

MLA

“Christmastide.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Christmastide. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Christmastide,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Christmastide.

Source: Christmastide on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.