Yuletide

Or yule·tide

[yool-tahyd]

noun

1. the Christmas season.

2. the season of an ancient Germanic pagan holiday centering around the winter solstice, now sometimes celebrated by neopagans.

adjective

1. of or relating to the Christmas season.

2. of or relating to the season of an ancient Germanic pagan holiday centering around the winter solstice, now sometimes celebrated by neopagans.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Yuletide¹

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English; Yule + tide

Example Sentences

While this month is mid-summer for half the world, Australia is in the depths of winter and for many, that means it's time for tinsel, turkey and Yuletide tunes.

From BBC

And it’s a Christmas story, not a “Die Hard”-type “at Christmas” story, but a legitimate, if twisted Yuletide tale, with arcs, in their unusual way, fitting for the season.

From Los Angeles Times

“Yuletide Factory” is pitched toward those younger children, who happily talk back to the players.

From New York Times

On Dec. 16, the Churchtown Dairy in Claverack, New York, once again hosted a Yuletide tradition: caroling to the herd of 28 cattle that call the cathedral-like barn their winter home.

From Seattle Times

Which parts of the UK have had the most success with topping the charts - and which meaty pastry staple features in almost as many Yuletide number ones as Christmas itself?

From BBC

When To Use

What does yuletide mean?

Yuletide is sometimes used as another word for Christmastime—the Christmas season.The word yule can be used as another name for Christmas, the Christian holiday to celebrate the birth of Jesus. It can also be used to mean the same thing as yuletide—the Christmas season.However, yule can also refer to the celebration of the Winter Solstice that’s observed in some Pagan traditions, and yuletide can be applied to the time when this is observed.Regardless of which holiday is being observed, yuletide occurs in late December.When it’s used in reference to Christmas, yuletide is often intended to sound a bit old-timey—yuletide carols being sung by a choir, and all that.Example: I cherish the yuletide memories of my youth, of sitting by the hearth and listening to tales of Christmases gone by.