The Spirit of Christmas in a Word

Yule, Noel, Christmas or Xmas? The story of the words behind the holiday.

Reviewed by Abigail Fagan

Key points

• Yule descends from an Old Norse word for the winter solstice.
• Noel entered English from Old French after the Norman Conquest.
• Christmas and Xmas have roots in Ancient Greek.

Whether known as Noel, Yule, or Christmas, the holiday season is hard to miss with its dazzling lights, mistletoe, and pine wreaths. A journey back in time reveals how these varied names evolved through the rich linguistic history of English, shaped by key cultural influences.

Of Yule Logs and Yuletide Greetings

Many of the words associated with Christmas, such as Yule and Noel, trace their origins to the ancient languages that contributed to the formation of English.

The term Yule descends from Old English geól, referring to the Christmastide period, the time from Christmas to Epiphany. Old English was the ancestor to modern English and was spoken roughly between the sixth through eleventh centuries.

During this same period, many speakers of another Germanic language known as Old Norse arrived in the British Isles. In Old Norse, jól referred to a 12-day pagan celebration of the winter solstice, which gradually merged with Christian festivities as Norse communities converted to Christianity.

How did geól and jól evolve intoYule? Spelling conventions in Old English were not standardized, and both g and j were often pronounced like the modern y sound. Thus, Yule emerged as the familiar term we use today.

A First Noel

A bit later, the word Noel entered English through Norman French after the Norman Conquest of 1066. It derives from Old French noël, which came from the Latin nātālis, meaning "birth" or "birthday." Initially, nātālis referred broadly to any birth or anniversary, but in French and later English, Noel became specifically associated with the birth of Christ.

An archaic form, Nowell, appears in early English and French texts, often as an exclamation of joy. This form also appears in carols like "The First Nowell," a reflection of the word’s role in expressing celebration. By the 18th century, Noel was closely tied to Christmas carols, further embedding it in the cultural fabric of the holiday season.

Arriving at Christmas

The most widely used term today, Christmas, has a similarly ancient history. The word first appeared in Old English as Cristesmæsse, combining Christ with mæsse (Mass). The suffix -mass denoted ecclesiastical celebrations, as seen in terms like Childermas (Holy Innocents’ Day) and Hallowmas (All Saints’ Day).

The word Christ predates English, originating from Latin Chrīstus, which in turn came from Greek χριστός (Christos), meaning "anointed one" or "messiah."

The abbreviation Xmas also has deep historical roots. It uses the Greek letter chi (Χ), the first letter in Christos. By the 1500s, Xmas became a common written form, especially in religious contexts, where earlier abbreviations like XP (chi-rho) were used to symbolize Christ.

Words of Celebration

The names for the Christmas season—Yule, Noel, and Christmas—offer a fascinating glimpse into the cultural and linguistic history that shaped English. Each term tells a unique story, from the merging of pagan and Christian traditions in Northern Europe to the influence of Latin and Greek through ecclesiastical usage. Together, they remind us how language evolves, carrying traces of history, belief, and celebration through time.