Main Entry:

mis·tle·toe

Pronunciation:

\ˈmi-səl-ˌtō, chiefly British ˈmi-zəl-\

Function:

noun

Etymology:

Middle English mistilto, from Old English misteltān, from mistel mistletoe + tān twig; akin to Old High German & Old Saxon mistil mistletoe and to Old High German zein twig

Date:

before 12th century

: a European semiparasitic green shrub (Viscum album of the family Loranthaceae, the mistletoe family) with thick leaves, small yellowish flowers, and waxy-white glutinous berries ; broadly : any of various plants of the mistletoe family (as of an American genus Phoradendron) resembling the true mistletoe

[mistletoe illustration]