The holidays are here, which means it’s time to count down the days on an Advent calendar and light the Yule log. We spend a lot of time throughout the year thinking about where words come from and why we say the things we say, and Christmastime is no different. “Santa Claus” and “Christmas” are obvious entries on the vocabulary list, but how did “poinsettia” and fruitcake” end up as such important parts of the holiday? We’ve done some research to explain the origin of some classic Christmas terms and help you spread a little more holiday cheer and knowledge.

Waiting can be the hardest yet most exciting part of the holidays. The term for the season leading up to Christmas comes from the Latin word adventus, which means “a coming, approach, or arrival.” In relation to the Christian holiday of Christmas, it refers to “the coming of the savior,” but in the 1700s, the word took on an additional secular meaning. When it’s not used as a proper noun to refer to “the period beginning four Sundays before Christmas,” “advent” can refer to any noteworthy arrival.

While the official holiday lands on December 25, people often use the term to refer to the general season of festivities in December. The word “Christmas” is a combination of the phrase “Christ’s mass.” Jesus is often  referred to as Christ, the Greek word for the Hebrew term “Messiah,” which means “anointed one.” In Middle English, “Christenmas” or “Christian mass” also would have been used. “Christmas” is often abbreviated as “Xmas,” which traces back to “X” as an ancient symbol for Christ, stemming from the Greek letter chi being written as X.   

The big guy in the red suit goes by many names — St. Nick, Kris Kringle, or Father Christmas — but the most famous name in America is Santa Claus. The legend of Santa Claus is based on a Christian figure named St. Nicholas. In the Netherlands, St. Nicholas is known as Sinterklaas — he wears a red garment, has a book that tells him which little girls and boys were good and bad during the year, and brings oranges for the good children. (He’s also tall and gaunt, rides a horse, and kidnaps the bad children, but some elements of the story don’t translate.) 

The story of Sinterklaas was brought to America by 17th-century Dutch immigrants and eventually Americanized, turning him into Santa Claus — a jolly, fat, bearded man who wears a red suit, drives a sleigh pulled by reindeer, and brings presents to children on Christmas. The myth (and name) of Santa Claus was solidified in the 20th century thanks to modern marketing, such as Coca-Cola’s iconic 1931 advertising campaign featuring a red-cheeked, cheery Santa.

“Here we come a-wassailing among the leaves so green … Love and joy come to you, And to you your wassail too …” The lyrics of this classic Christmas carol might not make much sense to modern singers, but back in the day, “wassail” referred to a spiced alcoholic beverage enjoyed during Christmas celebrations. The term comes from the 12th-century Old Norse phrase ves heill, which translates to “be in good health.” The practice of going door-to-door wassailing (caroling and having a good time) began around the 1700s.

This beautiful red-leafed floral got its name from the U.S. ambassador to Mexico in the 1830s. Joel Roberts Poinsett was also a botanist who started shipping these scarlet florals back to his home in South Carolina. Another botanist friend exported the flowers to Europe and named them “Euphorbia Poinsettia” in honor of the ambassador. Due to Poinsett’s problematic history, some have advocated for calling the plant by alternative names. The Nahuatl name for the plant is cuetlaxóchitl, meaning “a flower that withers.” Seventeenth-century Franciscan friars named it “flor de Nochebuena,” or “holy night flower,” because of when it flowers.  If you want to bring one into your home at Christmastime, keep them away from any pets, as the sap in the leaves and stems is toxic to your cats and dogs. 

The name for Santa’s helpers comes from the Old English word ælf. Similar terms in Old Norse and Germanic languages translate to “evil spirit” — originally, elves were thought of as magical tricksters. Christmas elves, which became popularized in stories from the late 1800s, are much handier to have around when it’s time for Santa to make presents.

In Old Norse mythology, Jól is a pre-Christian feast involving the god Odin. Vikings would celebrate Jól as a three-day pagan festival, beginning on the solstice in mid-to-late December.  Later, the term was adopted by Christians to refer to a 12-day period after Christmas as an effort to assimilate pagan holidays into Christianity. 

Bookish people have been celebrating Jane Austen all year long with new books about the author and themed events around the world, including dances, tours, festivals, and museum exhibits. Austen’s fans appreciate her all the time, but this year is especially notable because December 16, 2025, would have been the author’s 250th birthday. All of Austen’s work — from her teenage writings to her last unfinished stories — is represented in the honoring of her legacy. And part of why it  continues to resonate with contemporary audiences is the distinctive language. Not only was Austen an accomplished observer of the frivolities of the upper class, but she also was uniquely capable of distilling those observations into prose. 

If you’re looking to take this opportunity to dive into the Regency world of Jane Austen, whether for a reread or the first time, there are a number of words and customs to keep in mind. These are set dressing for the plot, and it’s important to understand the context in which misunderstandings and debates arise. The manners and customs of the time necessitated certain decorum and behavior, so deviation was grounds for harsh judgment. That’s where Austen found both comedy and tension. Learning some Regency-era vocabulary words will help you grasp the importance of the setting for the world of her novels. 

Jane Austen lived from 1775 to 1817, and the majority of her novels are set in the years of her adult life. This aligned with the Regency period in England, when Prince Regent George IV ruled while King George III was mentally unstable. The Georgian era (which preceded the Regency period) was much more buttoned-up, and though there were still many strict customs during the Regency, it was characterized by an increased emphasis on individuality and personal exploration that allowed people to push against conservative societal mores. 

All of Austen’s novels take place in England, but her family lived in Bath, and she set the majority of her stories there. It’s a small city in Somerset, England, full of old Roman baths, and now it’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Currently, Bath is the location of the Jane Austen Centre, so this is the spot for the best tours with Jane Austen experts.  

This isn’t Regency-era vocabulary, but it’s English Literature 101. Austen’s novels use a specific type of omniscient narrator that gives more context to the characters. Free indirect discourse is a writing technique that merges the character’s thoughts with the author’s commentary. For example, in Chapter 7 of Sense and Sensibility, Austen’s narration merges with the description of Colonel Brandon and Marianne Dashwood: “His pleasure in music, though it amounted not to that ecstatic delight which alone could sympathize with her own, was estimable when contrasted against the horrible insensibility of the others; and she was reasonable enough to allow that a man of five and thirty might well have outlived all acuteness of feeling and every exquisite power of enjoyment.” 

This writing style allowed Austen to thread opinions about her characters and the people surrounding them through her writing, while also letting them explain their own thoughts. 

Some of the most consequential characters in Austen’s novels were the landed gentry. The gentry were recognizably wealthy landowners (like Mr. Darcy of Pride and Prejudice) who were also entitled to bear a coat of arms. The gentry were not of the peerage, meaning they didn’t hold the rank of lord or duke, but they were still important to the social hierarchy. 

In the context of Austen, the wealthy received a yearly income from their land ownership, known as an endowment. For example, Mr. Darcy’s income was 10,000 pounds a year, a vast sum, which was why he caused such a stir with his arrival at Pemberley. 

In Austen’s time, women were unable to be the primary beneficiaries of the income for their family. They were expected to marry and become their husband’s responsibility, but a husband could be attracted by a large amount of money offered through a potential bride’s dowry. In Emma, for example, Emma Woodhouse was to receive a dowry of 30,000 pounds from her father, but she was reluctant to marry. Daughters could also receive a small yearly allowance from their estates. 

Men and women who were courting each other in Austen’s novels had few activities they could do together, due to rigid rules about propriety and social etiquette. One suitable activity was to go on a promenade, which was essentially taking a walk. The place they would promenade would likely be a long pathway in a park or a road in a field. 

One of the Regency phrases that Jane Austen used that has fallen out of fashion is “take a turn.” It’s another way to describe a walk, but more specifically a very short walk. Characters might ask one other to take a turn about the ballroom at a party. 

In the Regency period, gentlemen and ladies carried around cards with their names, which they used to invite guests over for social calls. Leaving calling cards and receiving guests for tea was part of the standard gentry social calendar. 

When well-bred young ladies were ready to search for husbands in Regency England, they debuted in society. This meant the girls were allowed to attend parties, as well as socialize with men (with a chaperone). At the beginning of Pride and Prejudice, all five Bennet sisters had debuted into society, yet none was married, worsening Mrs. Bennet’s nerves.  

Since Austen’s novels often dealt with the passing of estates (both of land and money), men of the law were usually needed. A barrister was a higher-level lawyer, considered a gentleman. Lower-level lawyers, such as solicitors and attorneys, were considered working class, but all levels of lawyers worked with the gentry on managing their estates. In Persuasion, Anne’s father, Sir Walter Elliot, employs a lawyer, likely at the solicitor level, to deal with the family finances. 

Since women couldn’t inherit property from their family, the entail of an estate specified which male family member the estate would pass to. If a family (like the Bennets) had no male children, it would pass to a different male family member, such as the Bennets’ cousin, Mr. Collins. In Sense and Sensibility, much of the drama between the characters comes from which sons will receive their inheritances and how much they will get. Advantageous marriages were a constant topic of discussion in Austen’s work, largely because of inheritance law and entailment in Regency England. 

Both men and women in Austen’s novels may wear a fashionable pelisse, which was a long cloak with fur trimming. There are a number of excellent pelisses donned by Emma Woodhouse in the 2020 film adaptation Emma.

Women in Austen novels often took walks around their villages (or in Elizabeth Bennet’s case, through open fields). They needed to carry pin money and any other necessary items, and a small drawstring bag called a reticule was the accessory of choice.

In the Regency period, it was unseemly to go out in public without wearing some sort of head covering. A hat called a bonnet was worn by most ladies. It was made of either cloth or straw and had ribbons tied under the chin. 

At a ball or village dance, attendees would be familiar with specific dance choreography. The quadrille was a square dance for four couples and was often performed to music (also called a quadrille) in 6/8 or 2/4 time signatures. 

This was another type of dance and the music associated with it. The minuet was specifically a dance for couples, so a couple that was courting might prefer this slow dance in 3/4 time to a quadrille. 

In my family, A Rugrats Chanukah is an annual required viewing at the holiday. We had an orange VHS tape copy of the episode and watched it on the first night of Hanukkah (more to come on the spelling) every year, reminding ourselves of the story of the Maccabees (or in Rugrats terms, the Maccababies). A writer for the Jewish culture site Hey Alma fact-checked A Rugrats Chanukah and praised the animated TV show for its representation, saying, “I actually learned a lot on this rewatch.” 

You’ll likely see the word “Hanukkah” written a few different ways. Because it’s transliterated from the Hebrew alphabet, it can be spelled as “Hanukkah,” “Chanukah,” “Chanukkah,” or “Hanukah.” The most common is “Hanukkah.” The “ch” or “h” at the beginning stand in for the letter “ח” (chet) in Hebrew, and should be pronounced with a more guttural push from the back of your tongue. If you’re curious, Angelica demonstrates the correct way to enunciate the beginning of the word in the Rugrats special. 

“Hanukkah” means “rededication” in Hebrew. There’s a rich history behind the holiday, but in brief, after a revolt against the Syrian Greeks in 164 BCE, the Maccabees (a group of Jewish rebel warriors) recaptured the Temple in Jerusalem and needed to cleanse it after it had been a pagan shrine. The light in the temple needed to remain lit, but the Maccabees had enough oil for only one night, and it would take eight days to make more. Hanukkah celebrates the miracle of the oil lasting for eight nights until more oil could be prepared. 

If you’re attending a Hanukkah party, lighting the menorah will be a part of the festivities. A menorah looks like a candelabrum with nine candle holders, to be lit nightly at sundown throughout Hanukkah. Some also call a Hanukkah menorah a hanukkiyah. A menorah is any lamp in Hebrew, but a hanukkiyah is specifically a menorah used at Hanukkah. The shamash candle is the helper candle. It sits in the raised center spot of the menorah and is lit first. Then, the shamash is used to light the rest of the eight candles in order from left to right, corresponding to each night of Hanukkah. During candle lighting, we say prayers in Hebrew. The host may have them printed for guests to read along in Hebrew and in English. 

Though most people now light candles with matches or use electric lights, oil is a key component of the holiday. If you’ve attended a Hanukkah celebration, you’ve likely been served latkes. These are shredded potatoes, formed into small pancakes with egg and flour and fried in oil. Talented bakers may also make sufganiyot, which are doughnuts fried in oil and filled with jelly. The oil used in cooking recalls the miracle. 

Hanukkah, sometimes called the Festival of Lights, is usually a relaxed, joyful affair. This becomes more obvious when we pull out the dreidel, a four-sided spinning top game. We play for the pot of golden chocolate coins (gelt). The four Hebrew letters that adorn the dreidel determine what to do to the pot of gelt: 

• נ‎ (nun): Do nothing
• ג‎ (gimel): Take the whole pot 
• ה‎ (hei): Take half the pieces in the pot 
• ש‎ (shin): Add a piece of gelt to the pot 

If you’re invited to a Hanukkah party, it’s going to be a fun time centered around food, games, and singing. You’ll get the measure of things in no time — just ask your host what to bring, and if they keep their kitchen kosher, ask for some guidance on that. And if you can find it, watch A Rugrats Chanukah to get your history lesson. 

The end-of-year holiday season is a joyful time for many — but it can also be busy and a bit stressful. From decking the halls to stuffing the turkey, there’s no shortage of duties to attend to. But there’s also no shortage of fun and quirky words from around the world that are unique to these activities and festivities. Whether you’re a yuleshard having to scurryfunge, or suffering from abbiocco while using a yule-hole, here are some of the best words to use at your next holiday gathering.

Italians have the perfect word for how many feel after a holiday meal. Abbiocco refers to the drowsiness that occurs after a large meal, making it distinct from simple sleepiness before bedtime. Abbiocco also involves a state of pure relaxation while delaying responsibilities, something that tends to occur on holidays. The word originated in central Italy from two verbs, abbioccare and abbioccarsi, meaning “to exhaust” and “to doze off,” respectively.

A bummock is an alcoholic beverage brewed to enjoy at a “merry meeting” — aka a holiday party. This Scottish drink has been around since at least the early 19th century, but an 18th century definition of “bummock” (sometimes spelled “boumack”) is “an entertainment anciently given at Christmas by tenants to their landlords.” 

The quaaltagh is the first person one encounters on New Year’s Day. This word is Manx, an ancient language from the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea. The root of this term is quaail, meaning “to meet.” Quaaltagh originally referred to a group that gathered around the holidays to go caroling, but the tradition evolved and the word began to refer to the first-footer, or the first person who entered the door in the new year. By the mid-19th century, quaaltagh took on its current meaning, “the first person to cross the threshold,” usually on New Year’s Day.

Schnapsidee is a German word that translates literally as “booze idea,” something many people have during the holidays. It’s a ridiculous, ill-advised idea that sounds like it was made up during a drunken state — sledding off the roof at a holiday party, for example. (Don’t do that!) Germans tend to use the word to describe any outlandish idea, though, whether alcohol was involved or not.

To scurryfunge is to hurriedly clean the house before company arrives. This word has had a looser meaning of “to move rapidly” since the early 19th century but likely wasn’t used in the sense of a rapid cleanup until the 1950s, when it appeared in U.S. regional dialects. One definition was included in the 1975 book Maine Lingo by John Gould: “a hasty tidying of the house between the time you see a neighbor coming and the time she knocks on the door.” “Scurry” means “to move in or as if in a brisk pace,” but “funge” remains a bit of an etymological mystery.

It’s easy to overindulge during holiday meals, and those who do might need to take advantage of a yule-hole. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, a yule-hole is “the hole in the waist-belt to which the buckle is adjusted, to allow for repletion after the feasting at Christmas.” 

Someone doing their Christmas shopping on December 24 is the epitome of a yuleshard — a person who waits until the last minute to finish preparations for the holidays. This Scottish word dates to at least the mid-18th century. “Yule” is a synonym for the Christmas season, and “shard” is a corruption of the word “jade,” but not the beautiful green gemstone. “Jade” has been used since the 16th century as an insult in Middle English, referring to a worn-out horse.