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Good tidings we bring to you and your kin, goes a line from the popular 16th-century carol "We Wish You a Merry Christmas." Another carol, "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" (1833), speaks of "tidings of comfort and joy." Although there is nothing inherent in the meaning or origin of "tiding" that specifically pertains to Christmas (it derives via Middle English from Old English and relates to betide, meaning "to happen especially by fate"), we most often see the word in contexts pertaining to the Christmas season. The most notable usage, perhaps, occurs in Luke 2:10 of the King James Bible, when the angel delivers the news of the arrival of the Savior: "Fear not: for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people."

Examples of tiding in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Another glad tiding: the final round will be led by a familiar face, conductor Jahja Ling. — Zachary Lewis, cleveland, 4 July 2021 Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images LONDON — Of all the glad tidings that Prime Minister Boris Johnson promised would flow from Brexit, one of the most far-fetched was a baby boom. — Mark Landler, New York Times, 29 Feb. 2020 Goodbye and good tidings After a false ending, the cast returned for an encore to give goodbye messages. — Amanda Ostuni, EW.com, 11 Apr. 2020 Henrietta can barely muster polite interest in the family tidings. — Washington Post, 3 Feb. 2020 Expected or not, the tidings from www.hangoutmusicfest.com are stark: General Admission, VIP and Super VIP passes all are listed as sold out, after general sales started on Dec. 9. — al, 23 Dec. 2019 Do not involve yourself in this potential mess and do not be the bearer of bad tidings to your aunt. — Abigail Van Buren, Twin Cities, 8 Oct. 2019 The carols may have vanished from the stores by the 26th, but our inboxes are piled high with tidings of the Season of Giving right up through New Year’s Eve. — Daniel E. Burns, National Review, 23 Jan. 2020 According to Sakha tradition, tusk hunting violates the sacred ground and brings bad tidings. — oregonlive, 5 Oct. 2019 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'tiding.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.