Yule log
1
8.2
- noun
- /juːl lɔg/
- Archaic
:
tronco de Yule
- The Yule log is a beautiful Christmas tradition.
Examples
-
We decorated the Yule log with pine branches.
-
On Christmas Eve, the family gathered around the fireplace to watch the Yule log burn.
-
She decorated the hearth with holly and placed a Yule log ready for the festivities.
-
The tradition of the Yule log dates back centuries in many European countries.
-
Years ago, it was the custom for every Saxon household to burn the Yule log on Christmas Eve.
-
Fletcher participated in the ritual lighting of the Yule log at the inn.
-
Inside the handsome lounge of The Haven, Yule logs blazed cheerfully in the fireplace.
How Rich
Surface Forms
Morphology
Knowing 'Yule' (Christmas) and 'log' (a section of tree trunk) will lead a B1 learner to infer a Christmas-related log or tradition, so the basic concept is partly transparent. However, the common modern sense of a 'Yule log' as a recorded/broadcast fireplace video (or the related Christmas cake) is a cultural and technological extension not directly predictable from the words alone, so prior exposure is usually required.
Etymology
Yule log comes from an old Christmas custom. Families burned a large log at Yule, which is an old word for Christmas, to bring light and warmth in the dark winter, so the name now means 'a large log burned at Christmas'.