My Holiday Spirit Presents: Words You Only Hear In Christmas Carols

Christmas carols are funny things. Although the English language has plowed steadily forward in its life, our Christmas carols have remained much the same. Those that have been with us since long before our grandparent's grandparents were children have change little since their genesis. They do not vary with dialect or region (though some occasionally have alternate lyrics). Their lexicons can be--archaic, to say the least. And yet, every year, without fail, they find their way onto the radio and into the songbooks of various carolers, who happily blurt them out without the slightest clue as to what they're actually saying. Oh, yes, occasionally someone will spot an odd or out-of-place word--and I'm not just counting those boyish types who giggle at the phrase "Don we now are gay apparel." But for the benefit of those who would not think to turn to the dictionary for something as simple as a Christmas song, I give to you: Words you Only Hear in Christmas Carols.

Colly
The 12 Days of Christmas: "Four colly birds..."
Meaning: Very dark black, as if besmirched by soot.
Dictionary.com
Note: This line is typically rendered as "four calling birds" in English, avoiding this potential bemusement altogether.

Dale
Carol of the Bells: "Oh how they pound, / raising the sound, / o'er hill and dale, / telling their tale..."
Meaning: A valley.
Dictionary.com

Lowing
Away in a Manger: "The cattle are lowing, the Baby awakes..."
Meaning: To moo; the sound that cattle make.
Dictionary.com

Troll
Deck the Halls: "Troll the ancient Yuletide carol, / fa la la la la, la la la la."
Meaning: To sing, esp. in a round fashion.
Dictionary.com
Note: Let us not get into the "folk version" of this song, which contains such words as "hoar," "redouble," and "jovial." In the words of a figure famously associated with Christmas television specials, good grief.

Wassail
Here We Come A-Wassailing: "Here we come a-wassailing / among the leaves so green..."
Meaning: To toast to the health of another; to pass someone drink..
Dictionary.com