Dictionary.com

mistletoe

[ mis-uhl-toh ]
/ ˈmɪs əlˌtoʊ /
Save This Word!

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.
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?

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

How to use mistletoe in a sentence

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
FEEDBACK