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Christmastide

Christmastide

1 8.8
The time from December 24 to January 6 when people celebrate Christmas
  • noun
  • /ˈkrɪs·məsˌtaɪd/
  • Archaic
translation icon : Navidad
  • Many people decorate their homes to celebrate the joy of Christmastide.

Examples

  • Christmastide is upon us.

  • During Christmastide 1921, Dan Cranmer, a Nimkish Kwakiutl from Alert Bay on the coast of British Columbia, hosted a five-day ceremony of dances and gift giving.

    Academic text (1991)
  • During Christmastide, families gather to share meals and exchange gifts.

  • The church held special services to mark the beginning of Christmastide.

Synonyms

Christmastime
vsChristmastide
27 1.0

A time around Christmas when people celebrate and give gifts

is the precise named period defined strictly by December 24 to January 6
Noel
vsChristmastide
22 3.7

A Christmas season from December 24 to January 6

is the established term for that same date range used in tradition
Yuletide
vsChristmastide
  • Archaic
13 7.4

The Christmas season around late December and early January

is the traditional label for that exact date range
Yule
vsChristmastide
  • Archaic
5 9.6

The festive time from late December to early January with old traditions

is the modern conventional term used in general seasonal observance
Christmas
vsChristmastide
1.0

The time from December 24 to January 6 when people celebrate the holiday

is the general seasonal label without specifying calendar status

How Long

Christmastide
  • Archaic
1 8.8
Christmas Day
62 1.0
Christmas Eve
171 1.0

Surface Forms

Christmastide singular

Morphology

Christmastide = Christmas (transparent) = Christmas + tide

The word is clearly formed from 'Christmas' + 'tide' (a noun meaning a time/season), yielding 'the Christmas season', which learners can derive from the parts.

Etymology

The word Christmastide comes from Christmas ('Christ's Mass', a church service) and the old English word tid seen as -tide, which means 'time' or 'season' and appears in Yuletide. So, Christmastide simply means the time or season of Christmas.