christmas
/ˈkɹɪsməs/
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: 4.91 in modern English
16
Scrabble Score
9
Letters
2
Syllables
8
Unique Chars
Meaning
name
A festival or holiday commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ and incorporating various Christian, pre-Christian, pagan, and secular customs including gift-giving, which in Western Christianity is celebrated on December 25 (Christmas Day) in most places.
Countable; Uncountable
name
Ellipsis of Christmas season (“the period of time before and after Christmas Day, during which people prepare for and celebrate Christmas”); Christmastime.
Countable; Uncountable
noun
Sprigs of holly and other evergreen plants used as Christmas decorations; also (generally), any Christmas decorations.
British usage; Informal; Uncountable
Example Sentences
- "Do you celebrate Christmas?"
- "This Christmas we’ll open presents, then go to grandma’s for dinner."
- "Be gladde, lordes, bothe more and lasse, / For this hath ordeyned our stewarde / To chere you all this christmasse / The bores heed with mustarde."
- "In this Winter was great death in London, wherefore the Terme was adiorned, and the king for to eſchue the plague, kept his Chriſtmaſſe at Eltham with a ſmall number, for no man might come thether, but ſuch as were appoynted by name: this Chriſtmas in the kings houſe, was called the ſtill Chriſtmaſſe."
- "Kinde Gentlemen, and honeſt Companions, I preſent you here with a merrie conceited Comedie, called the Shoomakers Holyday, acted by my Lorde Admiralls Players this preſent Chriſtmaſſe, before the Queenes moſt excellent Maieſtie."
- "Hereupon a Peace vvas concluded, vvhich vvas publiſhed a little before Chriſtmaſſe, in the Fourteenth yeare of the Kings Raigne, to continue for both the Kings liues, and the ouer-liuer of them, and a yeare after."
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *gʰer- Proto-Indo-European *gʰrey-der. Ancient Greek χρίω (khríō) Proto-Indo-European *-tós Proto-Hellenic *-tós Ancient Greek -τός (-tós) Ancient Greek χρῑστός (khrīstós) ▲ Biblical Hebrew מָשִׁיחַ (mašīaḥ)sl. ▲ Aramaic ܡܫܺܝܚܳܐ (m'šīḥāʿ)sl. Ancient Greek Χρῑστός (Khrīstós)der. Latin Chrīstusder. Old English Crist Proto-Germanic *-as Proto-West Germanic *-as Old English -es Proto-Indo-European *mey-? Proto-Indo-European *meyth₂- Proto-Indo-European *-eti Proto-Indo-European *méyth₂eti Proto-Italic *meitō Old Latin mītō Latin mittō Proto-Indo-European *-tis Proto-Indo-European *-Hō Proto-Indo-European *-tiHō Proto-Italic *-tiō Latin -tiō Latin missiō Latin missabor. Old English mæsse Old English Cristes mæsse Middle English Cristemasse English Christmas The proper noun is derived from Middle English Cristemasse, Criste-mas (“Christmas Day; season of Christmas; Christmas festivities”) [and other forms], from Old English Cristes mæsse (“Christmas”, literally “Christ’s mass”), from Crist (“Christ”) + -es (possessive marker) + mæsse (“a mass (celebration of the Eucharist)”). The English word is analysable as Christ + -mas (suffix denoting a holiday or sacred day). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Kristmisse (“Christmas”), West Frisian Krystmis (“Christmas”), Dutch Kerstmis (“Christmas”), German Low German Karstmis (“Christmas”). The noun, adjective, and verb are derived from the proper noun. Adjective etymology 1, adjective sense 1 (“red and green in color”) refers to these colors being traditionally associated with Christmas.
Origin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈkɹɪsməs/
- British English: /ˈkɹɪsməs/
Usage
- Countable
- Uncountable
- British usage
- Informal
- American usage
- Transitive verb
- Obsolete
- Intransitive verb
Inflected Forms
Christmases (plural)
Christmasses (plural)
Christ-mas (alternative)
Christmass (alternative, archaic)
Christmasse (alternative, archaic)
Xmas (alternative, abbreviation)
X-mas (alternative, abbreviation)
Xtmas (alternative, abbreviation)
Crimmas (alternative, humorous)
Christmases (present, singular)
Christmasses (present, singular)
Christmasing (participle, present)
Derived Forms
Chrismahanukwanzakah
Chrismukkah
Christmasberry
Christmasish
Christmasization
Christmasize
Christmasless
Christmaslessness
Christmaslike
Christmasly
Christmaspie
Christmassiness