Yule

See also: yule and yúlè

English

Etymology

From the Middle English yol, yole, from Old English ġeōl, ġeola (“Christmastide, midwinter”), either cognate with[1][2][3] or from[4][5] Old Norse jól, from Proto-Germanic *jehwlą.

See also Old English giuli and Old Norse ýlir.

In pre-Christian times, the term designated the two-month midwinter season (December and January). After Christianization, it became a narrower reference to the twelve days of Christmas.

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): /juːl/
  • Homophone: you'll
  • Rhymes: -uːl

Proper noun

Yule (plural Yules)

  1. Christmastide, the Christmas season, the Twelve Days of Christmas (between December 25th and January 5th).
  2. A pagan wintertime holiday celebrated by Germanic peoples, particularly the Scandinavian and Anglo-Saxon peoples, or a modern reconstruction of this holiday celebrated by neo-pagans.

Derived terms
Derived terms

Translations

See also

References
  1. Merriam-Webster: Origin of Yule
  2. Oxford Dictionaries: Origin of Yule
  3. Reference.com: Origin of Yule
  4. According to ODS eng. yule laant fra nordisk, the English Yule was borrowed from Old Norse
  5. Etymology of Yule Yule in Online Etymology Dictionary

Scots

Noun

Yule

  1. Christmas
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