8/3/2019 Gemini 04: Holly and Mistletoe

1/2

S t a r l i n g H u n t e r 2 0 1 1 1

Gemini 04: Holly and MistletoeThe word holly refers to any of numerous trees or

shrubs of the genus I lex , usual ly having bright red

berries and glossy evergreen leaves with spiny

margins. 1 I t descends from the Old English holen an d

ult imately from the Indo European (IE) root kel-5. 2 I ts

only paronym is the compound holm oak, evergreen oak

of southern Europe having leaves somewhat resembling

those of hol ly; yie lds a hard wood. 3

The word mistletoe refers to a Eurasian parasit ic

shrub ( Viscum album ) having leat hery evergreen leave s

and waxy white berries . 4 The word i tsel f is a c losed compound. The

modif ier of the compound is mist le and i t is a derivative of the IE root

meigh- which means to urinate . 5 I ts paronyms include micturate (t o

urinate) , mist , and mizzle (to rain in f ine, mist l ike droplets) .

The compound as a whole is traced back to the Middle English

mist letoe , i tsel f a back-formation from the Old English mist letan where

t an i s t h e p l ur al o f t a , meaning toe . As a noun, the word t oe refers tot h e f or ep ar t o f a f oot or h oof or on e of i t s d i g i t s . A s an i n t r an si t i v e v er b

i t means to fasten or secure with obliquely driven nai ls or spikes. 6 The

word toe is a derivative of the IE root deik- which means to show,

pronounce solemnly.7 Among i ts many other derivatives are the words

abdicate , addict , avenge , betoken , condit ion , contradict , dedicate , dictate ,

d ig it , disk, disk, ditto , edict , index, indict , judge , paradigm , pol icy ,

predicament, predict , revenge , teach , token , an d vindicate .

1h t t p : / / e d u c a t i o n . y a h o o . c o m / r e f e r e n c e / d i c t i o n a r y / e n t r y / h o l l y 2W a t k i n s , C . ( 2 0 0 0 ) , T h e A m e r i c a n H e r i t a g e D i c t i o n a r y o f I n d o E u r o p e a n R o o t s , p . 3 9 3h t t p : / / o n e l o o k . c o m / ? w = h o l m + o a k & l s = a 4h t t p : / / e d u c a t i o n . y a h o o . c o m / r e f e r e n c e / d i c t i o n a r y / e n t r y / m i s t l e t o e 5W a t k i n s , C . ( 2 0 0 0 ) , T h e A m e r i c a n H e r i t a g e D i c t i o n a r y o f I n d o E u r o p e a n R o o t s , p . 5 3 6h t t p : / / e d u c a t i o n . y a h o o . c o m / r e f e r e n c e / d i c t i o n a r y / e n t r y / t o e 7W a t k i n s , C . ( 2 0 0 0 ) , T h e A m e r i c a n H e r i t a g e D i c t i o n a r y o f I n d o E u r o p e a n R o o t s , p p . 1 4 - 5

8/3/2019 Gemini 04: Holly and Mistletoe

2/2

S t a r l i n g H u n t e r 2 0 1 1 2

THEMES: T h e t h em e t h at con n ect s t h ese t w o k ey w or ds i s t h e i dea

ev er g r een SPIKES or DIGITS . Holly is a shrub having bright red berries

and glossy evergreen leaves with spiny margins. The words spiked and

spiky are synonyms of spiny. 8 Mistletoe is a shrub having leathery

ev er g r een l eav es and waxy white berries . The verb toe refers to spikes

and among i ts paronyms is the word digit which is a synonym for f ingers

of the hand, toes of the foot , and numbers.

Related concepts are evergreen spikes, green f ingers , and a green

thumb. Green Fingers is the name of a f i lm based on a true story about a

pr ison inmate with a green thumb (who) goes on to compete in a

national gardening competit ion. 9 The compound green thumb refers

t o an extraordinary abi l i ty to make plants grow w el l . 10

8h t t p : / / t h e s a u r u s . c o m / b r o w s e / s p i n y 9h t t p : / / w w w . i m d b . c o m / t i t l e / t t 0 2 0 3 5 4 0 / 10h t t p : / / e d u c a t i o n . y a h o o . c o m / r e f e r e n c e / d i c t i o n a r y / e n t r y / g r e e n % 2 0 t h u m b

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0203540/http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0203540/http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0203540/http://education.yahoo.com/reference/dictionary/entry/green%20thumbhttp://education.yahoo.com/reference/dictionary/entry/green%20thumbhttp://education.yahoo.com/reference/dictionary/entry/green%20thumbhttp://education.yahoo.com/reference/dictionary/entry/green%20thumbhttp://www.imdb.com/title/tt0203540/