| "Christmas" - Meaning of the Word/Origin | ||||
| ... |
... | The
word for Christmas in late Old English is Cristes Maesse, the Mass
of Christ, first found in 1038, and Cristes-messe, in 1131. In Dutch
it is Kerst-misse, in Latin Dies Natalis, whence comes the
French No‘l, and Italian Il natale; in German Weihnachtsfest,
from the preceeding sacred vigil. The term Yule is of disputed origin.
It is unconnected with any word meaning "wheel". The name in Anglo-Saxon
was geol, feast: geola, the name of a month (cf. Icelandic
iol a feast in December). Extensive history of origins (12/03) History2 |
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| . Tuesday, December 9, 2003 3:36 PM |
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