mistletoe

noun

mis·​tle·​toe ˈmi-səl-ˌtō 

chiefly British ˈmi-zəl-

: a European semiparasitic green shrub (Viscum album of the family Santalaceae, the sandalwood family) with thick leaves, small yellowish flowers, and waxy-white glutinous berries

broadly : any of various plants of the sandalwood family (as of an American genus Phoradendron) resembling the true mistletoe

Illustration of mistletoe

Examples of mistletoe in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Deck the halls, hang the mistletoe and fa-la-la over to a couch with a cozy cup of hot chocolate because Netflix's first Christmas movie of the season is officially here. —Rebecca Aizin, PEOPLE, 14 Nov. 2025

This one checks every late-December box: snow, trees, stockings, Santa, mistletoe, frosting, reindeer, caroling. —Jenny Singer, Glamour, 3 Nov. 2025

The set features traditional imagery, including fruit and evergreens, a holly wreath, two cardinals perched on mistletoe and a scarlet amaryllis bouquet—all designed using a collage method. —Aliss Higham, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Sep. 2025

For those looking for a mind-blowing date film, or for those who haven’t had their fill of mistletoe, there’s the Fifty Shades of Grey-likeBabygirl from Halina Reijn at 2,100 theaters with an eye at $7M over five days. —Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 24 Dec. 2024

Word History

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

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for mistletoe

• acknow
• aglow
• ago
• airglow
• aloe
• altho
• although
• ammo
• backflow
• backhoe
• banjo
• barbeau

Kids Definition

mistletoe

noun

mis·​tle·​toe ˈmis-əl-ˌtō 

: a European plant with yellowish flowers and waxy white berries that grows on the branches and trunks of trees

also : any of various related plants that resemble the mistletoe

Medical Definition

mistletoe

noun

mis·​tle·​toe

ˈmis-əl-ˌtō, chiefly British ˈmiz-

: any of various parasitic or semiparasitic plants (family Santalaceae) that have thick leathery mostly opposite and sometimes scaly leaves and include some formerly used in preparations with oxytocic, antispasmodic, or heart-stimulating properties: as

a

: a European semiparasitic green shrub (Viscum album) having somewhat poisonous leaves, stems, and waxy-white glutinous berries that have been used in folk medicine

b

: any of various American plants (genus Phoradendron and especially P. serotinum synonym P. flavescens) resembling the true mistletoe of Europe