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Christmastide

[ kris-muhs-tahyd ]
/ ˈkrɪs məsˌtaɪd /
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noun
the festival season from Christmas to after New Year's Day.
the period from Christmas Eve to Epiphany, especially in England.
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Origin of Christmastide

First recorded in 1620–30; Christmas + tide1
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

MORE ABOUT CHRISTMASTIDE

What does Christmastide mean?

Christmastide is the period from Christmas Eve to New Year’s Day.

It can also refer to the period that extends from Christmas Eve to the feast of the Epiphany or Twelfth Day on January 6. This sense of the word is especially used in the U.K.

Christmastide is similar to the word Christmastime, and their meanings can overlap, but Christmastime is usually used more generally to refer to the Christmas season, often the entire month of December.

Christmastide is usually used more narrowly and is not commonly used outside of a religious context.

Most often, the word Christmas refers to Christmas Day. But Christmas can be used to mean the same thing as Christmas season, Christmastime, or Christmastide.

Example: I look forward to gathering with my family during Christmastide.

Where does Christmastide come from?

The first records of the word Christmastide come from the 1600s. The word tide refers to a specific period or time or season. It is used in the same way in other words that refers to seasons, such as wintertide (a less common word for wintertime), or periods following holidays, as in Eastertide.

It is also used in the word yuletide. Yuletide is sometimes used as another word for Christmastime, but it is rooted in yule, which can refer to Christmas but is also used as a name for the celebration of the Winter Solstice that’s observed in some Pagan traditions.

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What are some synonyms for Christmastide?

What are some words that share a root or word element with Christmastide

What are some words that often get used in discussing Christmastide?

 

How is Christmastide used in real life?

Christmastide is typically used in a religious context.

 

 

Try using Christmastide!

True or False? 

Christmastide usually refers to the two-day period encompassing Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

How to use Christmastide in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for Christmastide

Christmastide
/ (ˈkrɪsməsˌtaɪd) /

noun
another name for Christmas (def. 3)
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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