Winter Solstice Word Search
This Winter Solstice word search hides 12 words on a 15×15 grid — what it marks, and the customs and symbols around it. Trace each one with a finger or mouse and it locks in as soon as the whole word is covered. No signup, no download.
Words to find: SOLSTICE, MIDWINTER, YULE, HEARTH, CANDLE, FIRELIGHT, EVERGREEN, HOLLY, MISTLETOE, POINSETTIA, CRANBERRY, PUMPKIN.
Words run in any of eight directions, backwards included — if one refuses to turn up, try reading the grid right to left.
Winter Solstice word list, defined
General dictionary meanings, not specific to this puzzle's theme.
- SOLSTICE /ˈsɒlstɪs/, /ˈsɑːlstɪs/ · noun
- Either of the two times of year when the Sun is at its most northerly or southerly point in its apparent annual path, marking the shortest or longest day. The word can also refer metaphorically to a decisive turning point in a process or period of time. Related: seasonal turning point, shortest day, longest day, midwinter marker.
- MIDWINTER /ˈmɪdwɪntər/ · noun
- The period in the middle of winter, especially the coldest and darkest part of the season. It can also refer to the festive period around Christmas and New Year. Related: mid-season winter, deep winter, heart of winter, winter solstice.
- YULE /juːl/ · noun
- Christmas or the Christmas season, especially the festive period surrounding Christmas Day. The word is now chiefly used in archaic, literary, or deliberately traditional contexts. Related: Christmas, Christmastide, Christmas time, festive season.
- HEARTH /hɜːrθ/ · noun
- The floor of a fireplace, often including the fireplace itself. By extension, it refers to a home, household, or family regarded as a place of warmth, welcome, and belonging. Related: fireplace, fireside, hearthstone, hearthside.
- CANDLE /ˈkændəl/ · noun
- A cylinder or block of wax with a central wick that is burned to give light; also, a unit of luminous intensity (the candela, formerly called the candle). Related: taper, wax light, lamp, lantern.
- FIRELIGHT /ˈfaɪərlaɪt/ · noun
- The light produced by an open fire, such as a hearth or campfire. It typically refers to the warm, flickering illumination cast by burning wood or coal indoors. Related: hearthglow, embers' glow, flamelight.
- EVERGREEN /ˈɛvərɡriːn/ · noun, adjective
- As an adjective, evergreen describes a plant that retains its green foliage throughout the year rather than shedding all its leaves at one season. As a noun, it refers to such a plant itself, and by extension something that remains permanently fresh, relevant, or popular. Related: perennial, timeless, enduring, lasting.
- HOLLY /ˈhɒli/ (British); /ˈhɑːli/ (US) · noun
- An evergreen shrub or small tree of the genus Ilex, especially the European holly, with glossy, often spiny leaves and red berries. The name is also associated with the traditional Christmas decoration made from its branches and leaves. Related: ilex.
- MISTLETOE /ˈmɪsəltəʊ/ (British) /ˈmɪsəltoʊ/ (US) · noun
- Mistletoe is a hemiparasitic evergreen plant that grows on the branches of certain trees and bears white berries. The plant, or sprigs of it, is traditionally used as Christmas decoration and associated with kissing and celebration. Related: holly, evergreen, parasite.
- POINSETTIA /pɔɪnˈsɛtiə/ · noun
- A tropical evergreen shrub or small tree with showy red, pink, or white bracts, widely cultivated as a decorative plant associated with Christmas. The name also refers to these conspicuous bracts, which surround the plant's small yellow flowers. Related: Christmas flower, Christmas star, Mexican flameleaf, star of Bethlehem.
- CRANBERRY /ˈkrænbɛri/ · noun
- A small, firm, red berry with a sharply tart taste, produced by low-growing evergreen shrubs of the genus Vaccinium, especially Vaccinium macrocarpon, native to North America. It is widely used in juices, sauces, and dried fruit preparations, and is traditionally served as a sauce with roast turkey.
- PUMPKIN /ˈpʌmpkɪn/ · noun
- A large, usually round fruit with a hard orange-yellow rind and many seeds, eaten as a vegetable and commonly associated with autumn and Halloween. The word can also denote the plant that produces this fruit and, informally, a person's head. Related: squash, gourd, marrow, head.
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