mistletoe
n. uncountablen. a plant that grows on the branches of other trees. It is famous for being a symbol of love and kissing during the Christmas season.
n. a parasitic plant that grows on the branches of trees, typically in the form of a small bush. Often associated with festive traditions involving kissing under its branches.
The children hung a sprig of mistletoe over the door.
During the winter holidays, many people decorate their homes with mistletoe and holly to celebrate the season.
While often viewed as a festive decoration, mistletoe is a semi-parasitic plant that can significantly weaken the host tree if left to grow unchecked for several decades.
From Middle English mistelto, mistilto (“European mistletoe”), from Old English misteltān (“mistletoe”), from mistel (“mistletoe; basil; birdlime”) + tān (“sprig, shoot, twig”), possibly as a calque of Old Norse mistilteinn; equivalent to mistle + tan (“twig”). This was mistaken for the plural of tā (“toe”). Cognate with Danish mistelten (“mistletoe”), Norwegian misteltein (“mistletoe”), Icelandic mistilteinn (“mistletoe”). Compare also the simplex form West Frisian mistel (“mistletoe”), Dutch mistel (“mistletoe”), German Mistel (“mistletoe”), Swedish mistel (“mistletoe”).