Holiday Words and Their Meaning Quirks
Some holiday words have more than one meaning; some meanings have multiple words.
Posted December 23, 2025 | Reviewed by Michelle Quirk
How do words get their meanings? Why does the string of letters (and sounds) "d-o-g" mean "dog" and "c-a-t" mean "cat"?
For the most part, meanings are conventions: A group of people (like speakers of a given language) agree that "d-o-g" refers to one type of animal and "c-a-t" refers to another. Other than a few words like "woof" or "ding dong" that sound like what they mean, there’s usually no inherent relation between the sounds and the objects they denote. That’s why "dog" is "chien" in French and "gǒu" in Mandarin Chinese.
Because of this, it’s not uncommon for one word to have two meanings. Consider some holiday-related examples: A "log" can refer to what’s in the fireplace or to the ledger book you keep that indicates how much you’re spending on the holidays. And "toboggan" is either a sled or, for speakers of some U.S. dialects, a knitted winter hat.
A Single Word, Two Opposite Meanings
There are even words with two opposite meanings. The classic Christmas example is "trim." What do you picture when you think of trimming the tree: ornaments and lights or pruning shears and a chainsaw?
Words like this are called "contronyms." We "dust" cookies with powdered sugar, but when we "dust" furniture, we remove a powdery coating. We might also think of "renting" a mountain cabin for the holidays, but does this mean we’re the tenants or the landlord?
Two Words, One Meaning?
At the opposite end of this oppositional spectrum are cases where two different words are used to refer to the exact same thing—what we call "synonyms." "Santa Claus" and "St. Nick" are virtually interchangeable, and so are "gift" and "present," right? Well, not exactly.
We can talk about Christmas gifts and Christmas presents, but when you’re holiday shopping, you’ll never be offered a free present with purchase, only a free gift.
We also have "gift wrap," "gift baskets," and "gift certificates," but we can’t swap out "gift" for "present" in these compound words When’s the last time you gave someone a "present certificate"?
"Gift" also has one more use that "present" doesn’t, in the sense of " gifted and talented." It may take presence of mind to play music well, but if you can do it, you have a "gift," not a "present."
And finally, while "present" as a verb is widely accepted, as in “I hereby present you with the keys to the city,” some people balk at "gifting," insisting that the word is "give."
Different Words for Different Situations
There are other cases where it seems like two words are exact synonyms, but when we parse their meanings, we can come up with subtle differences, even if only in terms of acceptability or formality.
"Gifting" doesn’t feel quite as proper as "presenting," and some people feel like a "sofa" is fancier than a "couch." Similarly, "dinner" is typically considered more formal than supper, so we’re much more likely to sit down to a holiday dinner than a Christmas supper.
Celebrating Meaning This Season
You’d think with all the words out there (as many as 750,000 to one million in English), we’d have neat dividing lines between words and meanings—one meaning per word, and that’s it. But every word has its own unique history, and two words can easily converge on a single meaning, or one word split into two.
So, whether you’re hosting or attending celebratory "dinners" this season (not "suppers"!), "trimming" your tree (so it fits in your living room and so it looks festive), presenting gifts (or gifting presents), remember to take time out to reflect on meaning this season—and on the meaning of the season.
And by "season" we mean "time of year," not "adding spice"—though the intricacies of language certainly do add spice to our lives!
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Natalie Schilling, Ph.D., is a linguist specializing in forensic linguistics, sociolinguistics, and dialect variation.
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This article is part of the Bringwise Psychology Journal — daily insights on human behavior, mental health, and personal growth.