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1word1dayMistletoe - adjective
We all know what mistletoe is--the bit of festive greenery we smooch under at Christmastime, but apparently it's origin is a little surprising! Take it away Merriam-Webster:
Mistletoe is a combination of mistel--which itself was once used as a name for the shrub—and the Old English word for "twig," tān. (The loss of the final "n" in the modern form, mistletoe, is from confusion with another tān, the plural of toe.) The exact origin of mistel is as equivocal as the origin of the kissing tradition associated with mistletoe. The word is thought to derive from one of two earlier words: Germanic mist (a word for "dung") and Germanic mash ("a mixture of malt and water that forms wort to make beer and whiskey"). The etymological argument for mist is based on the fact that mistletoe is spread by the droppings of birds that have eaten the berries, whereas mash suggests the stickiness of the shrub's berries. Whatever the case may be, we believe we have at least temporarily dispelled the romance of being caught under the mistletoe and its berries.
Ew! It's worth noting that all parts of the American and European variety of mistletoe are toxic, so keep an eye on kids and pets if you have it in your home.
Bonus trivia: a mistletoe decoration is called a kissing-bough, Christmas-bough or mistletoe-bough
We all know what mistletoe is--the bit of festive greenery we smooch under at Christmastime, but apparently it's origin is a little surprising! Take it away Merriam-Webster:
Mistletoe is a combination of mistel--which itself was once used as a name for the shrub—and the Old English word for "twig," tān. (The loss of the final "n" in the modern form, mistletoe, is from confusion with another tān, the plural of toe.) The exact origin of mistel is as equivocal as the origin of the kissing tradition associated with mistletoe. The word is thought to derive from one of two earlier words: Germanic mist (a word for "dung") and Germanic mash ("a mixture of malt and water that forms wort to make beer and whiskey"). The etymological argument for mist is based on the fact that mistletoe is spread by the droppings of birds that have eaten the berries, whereas mash suggests the stickiness of the shrub's berries. Whatever the case may be, we believe we have at least temporarily dispelled the romance of being caught under the mistletoe and its berries.
Ew! It's worth noting that all parts of the American and European variety of mistletoe are toxic, so keep an eye on kids and pets if you have it in your home.
Bonus trivia: a mistletoe decoration is called a kissing-bough, Christmas-bough or mistletoe-bough
The Mistletoe Seller By Adrien Barrère
