mistletoe

[ mis-uhl-toh ]

/ ˈmɪs əlˌtoʊ /

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noun

a European plant, Viscum album, having yellowish flowers and white berries, growing parasitically on various trees, used in Christmas decorations.

any of several other related, similar plants, as Phoradendron serotinum, of the U.S.: the state flower of Oklahoma.

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Origin of mistletoe

before 1000; Middle English mistelto, apparently back formation from Old English misteltān (mistel mistletoe, basil + tān twig), the -n being taken as plural ending; cognate with Old Norse mistilteinn

Words nearby mistletoe

mistigris, mistime, misting, Mistinguett, mistle thrush, mistletoe, mistletoe bird, mistletoe cactus, mistook, mistral, mistranslate

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use mistletoe in a sentence

Christmas trees bought and decorated, fireplace mantels being decorated and holly and mistletoe hung.
Christmas for the LGBTQ community and friends|Peter Rosenstein|December 9, 2021|Washington Blade
In fact, “mistletoe might teach us a lesson on how to survive at energy-limiting conditions,” Senkler said.
The Mystery of Mistletoe’s Missing Genes|Christie Wilcox|December 21, 2020|Quanta Magazine
“We started joking about researchers falling off trees in the attempt to get their hands on mistletoe plants,” Senkler wrote in an email to Quanta.
The Mystery of Mistletoe’s Missing Genes|Christie Wilcox|December 21, 2020|Quanta Magazine
Holiday-season traditions stretching back for centuries have linked wintertime romance to decorative sprigs of mistletoe.
The Mystery of Mistletoe’s Missing Genes|Christie Wilcox|December 21, 2020|Quanta Magazine

Eventually, the mistletoe bush grows, blooms, and forms berries, and the cycle begins anew.
Mistletoe is the Vampire of Plants|Helen Thompson|December 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In a dramatic twist on mistletoe reproduction, their seeds explode, literally.
Mistletoe is the Vampire of Plants|Helen Thompson|December 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“Mistletoe infections can be a symptom of larger problems,” notes Shaw.
Mistletoe is the Vampire of Plants|Helen Thompson|December 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Mistletoe is basically a vampire—but one of those an anti-hero type vampires.
Mistletoe is the Vampire of Plants|Helen Thompson|December 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Mistletoes infections can kill individual trees and stands of trees, and most mistletoe species attack specific tree species.
Mistletoe is the Vampire of Plants|Helen Thompson|December 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Fieldfares and Mistletoe Thrushes usually sell at fourpence each, the rest at fourpence a couple.
Birds of Guernsey (1879)|Cecil Smith
And he said, in a very low voice, 'I didn't dare to kiss you under the mistletoe.'
Four Days|Hetty Hemenway
The Mistletoe was a sore puzzle to our ancestors, almost as great a mystery as the Fern.
The plant-lore and garden-craft of Shakespeare|Henry Nicholson Ellacombe
The mystery attaching to the Mistletoe arose from the ignorance as to its production.
The plant-lore and garden-craft of Shakespeare|Henry Nicholson Ellacombe
In my dreams last night were all sorts of Christmas things—home and mistletoe and you under it, my love.
Polly the Pagan|Isabel Anderson

British Dictionary definitions for mistletoe

mistletoe

/ (ˈmɪsəlˌtəʊ) /

noun

a Eurasian evergreen shrub, Viscum album, with leathery leaves, yellowish flowers, and waxy white berries: grows as a partial parasite on various trees: used as a Christmas decoration: family Viscaceae

any of several similar and related American plants in the families Loranthaceae or Viscaceae, esp Phoradendron flavescens

mistletoe cactus an epiphytic cactus, Rhipsalis cassytha, that grows in tropical America

Word Origin for mistletoe

Old English misteltān, from mistel mistletoe + tān twig; related to Old Norse mistilteinn

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