holly

IPA/ˈhɒli/
KK[hˈɑli]IPA/ˈhɑːli/

holly — noun

  • hollysingular
  • holliesplural

1. a small tree or bush that stays green all year. It has dark green, shiny leaves

1.nounB1
Definition

a small tree or bush that stays green all year. It has dark green, shiny leaves with pointed edges, and it produces small red berries. People in many countries use its branches as decoration, especially at Christmas time.

Example

The holly bush in our back garden produces bright red berries every winter.

holly produces / berries in winter

Nikos placed fresh holly branches above the doorframes for the holiday season.

holly used as Christmas decoration

Common collocations
  • holly bush
  • holly tree
  • holly branch
  • holly wreath
  • holly berries
  • holly leaves

Usage Note

When referring to the plant itself, holly is countable (a holly, several hollies). When referring to the material or cut foliage used as decoration, it is uncountable (some holly, a wreath of holly).

Common Mistakes

I hung mistletoe on the wall for Christmas.' (when mistletoe is not what you mean).
I hung holly on the wall for Christmas.
mistletoe has white berries and is traditionally hung for kissing; holly has red berries and spiky leaves and is used for general decoration.

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Holly, mistletoe, ivy, and poinsettia are all plants associated with Christmas traditions, but they look and behave differently. Holly is a shrub or small tree with sharp-edged leaves and red berries; its branches are widely used in wreaths and general holiday decoration. Mistletoe grows as a parasite on trees, has soft oval leaves and white berries, and is traditionally hung indoors for people to kiss beneath. Ivy is a climbing plant with lobed, star-shaped leaves that clings to walls and trees, and it rarely produces its dark berries in winter. Poinsettia is a potted flowering plant sold during the holidays, with showy red bracts (modified leaves) that look like petals. If you see spiky green leaves with red berries on a Christmas wreath, that is almost certainly holly.

mistletoe ↗ivy ↗poinsettia

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • holly and ivy

Prepositions

  • of holly

Etymology

Proto-GermanicOld EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

From Old English holegn (also holen), related to Proto-Germanic *hulin- or *hulaz, meaning 'holly'. The name is very old and predates the Christian association with Christmas — holly was used in winter solstice festivals in pre-Christian Europe. The modern spelling with 'y' (holly) became common around the 1400s.