Etymograph

English

Christmas

Christmas comes from Middle English Cristemasse, and goes back to Old English Cristes mæsse.

  1. Old Englishc. 450–1150Cristes mæsseliterally ‘Christ’s mass’
  2. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500Cristemasse
  3. Englishearliest quotation 1569Christmas

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Old Englishc. 450–1150Cristes mæsseliterally ‘Christ’s mass’
  2. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500Cristemasse
  3. Englishearliest quotation 1569Christmas

Earliest quotation: 1569, Richard Grafton, Henry the Eyght: “In this Winter was great death in London, wherefore…”

A compound of Crist ‘Christ’ + -es + mæsse ‘mass’

Proto-Indo-European *gʰrey- ‘to smear’

Ancient Greek χρίω ‘to rub or smear with oil or unguents’

Ancient Greek Χρῑστός

Latin Chrīstus

Old English Crist ‘Christ’

Proto-Indo-European *méyth₂eti

Proto-Italic *meitō ‘to put forth, put out’

Old Latin mītō

Latin mittō ‘to send, dispatch, cause to go, let go, release, discharge’

Latin missiō ‘sending, mission’

Latin missa ‘Mass’

Old English mæsse ‘mass’

The story

The proper noun is derived from Middle English Cristemasse, Criste-mas (‘Christmas Day; season of Christmas; Christmas festivities’) [and other forms], from Old English Cristes mæsse (“Christmas”, literally “Christ’s mass”), from Crist (‘Christ’) + -es (possessive marker) + mæsse (‘a mass (celebration of the Eucharist)’). The English word is analysable as Christ + -mas (suffix denoting a holiday or sacred day). The noun, adjective, and verb are derived from the proper noun. Adjective etymology 1, adjective sense 1 (‘red and green in color’) refers to these colors being traditionally associated with Christmas.

Every English word from Old English Cristes mæsse

Today it means

name A festival or holiday commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ and incorporating various Christian, pre-Christian, pagan, and secular customs including gift-giving, which in Western Christianity is celebrated on December 25 (Christmas Day) in most places.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Old English Cristes mæsse / Christmas

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