mate

From Middle English mate, a borrowing from Middle Low German mate (“messmate”) (replacing Middle English mette (“table companion, mate, partner”), from Old English ġemetta (“sharer of food, table-guest”)), derived from Proto-Germanic *gamatjô, itself from *ga- (“together”) (related to German and Dutch ge-) + *matjô (from *matiz (“food”)), related to Old English mete (“food”)). From the same Middle Low German source stems German Low German Maat (“journeyman, companion”), German Maat (“naval non-commissioned officer”). Cognates include Saterland Frisian Moat (“friend, buddy, comrade, mate”), Dutch maat (“mate, partner, colleague, friend”). More at Old English ġe-, English co-, English meat. Doublet of maat.


holm

From Middle English holm, holme, alteration of Middle English holin (“holly”). Doublet of hollin and holly.

The fruitfull Oliue, and the Platane round, / The caruer Holme, the Maple, ſeeldom inward ſound.

1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book I, Canto I”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC, page 5:


holly

en-noun

holly (countable and uncountable, plural hollies)

From Middle English holly, holi, holie, a shortened variation of holin, holyn (> English dialectal hollen, holm), from Old English holeġn, holen (“holly; prince, protector”), from Proto-West Germanic *hulis (“holly”), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *kelh₂- (“to beat, break”).
cognates
 Cognate with Scots holin, hollin, holyn (“holly”), Dutch hulst (“holly”), German Hulst (“holly”), French houx ("holly" < Germanic), Danish hylver (“holly”), Welsh celyn (“holly”), Russian ко́лос (kólos, “ear of wheat”), Albanian kalli (“straw, chaff”), Latin culmus (“stalk, stem”), Sanskrit कटम्ब (kaṭamba, “arrow”), Old Church Slavonic класъ (klasŭ, “ear of grain”).

cog

Have a tree or two the witches particularly like, such as the alder, larch, cypress and hemlock; then, to counteract any possible evil effects, there must be a holly, yew, hazel, elder, mountain ash or juniper.

1940, Rosetta E. Clarkson, Green Enchantments: The Magic Spell of Gardens, The Macmillan Company, page 273:

Any of various shrubs or (mostly) small trees, of the genus Ilex, either evergreen or deciduous, used as decoration especially at Christmas.

ashe

any of various shrubs or small trees of the genus Ilex


maté

en-noun

maté (countable and uncountable, plural matés)

Borrowed from Spanish mate, from Quechua mati.

Ilex paraguariensis
Ilex paraguariensis#Translingual

(countable) An evergreen tree, Ilex paraguariensis, native to South America, cultivated for its leaves.


holmberry

Could be a derivative of holm tree, an evergreen oak of Southern Europe having leaves somewhat resembling those of holly.

(Used as an adjective in:) Let me put one little kiss on those holmberry lips, Tess, or even on that warmed cheek, and I'll stop - on my honour, I will! - Thomas Hardy, Tess of the d'Urbervilles.


yaupon

yaupon (countable and uncountable, plural yaupons)

From a Catawba word, most likely yap, yop, yą (“tree”), with the second element being either a diminutive suffix or pą (“leaf”) (resulting in the compound yąpą); alternatively, perhaps directly from a longer form of the word for leaf, 'yap'hâ.

Yaupon is evergreen like the American holly and the familiar hollies of Christmas decorations, but the leaves of yaupon are small and smooth-edged rather than prickly. Easy to chew and blandly tasty, they would not stand out in a tossed salad.

2002, Connie C. Barlow, The Ghosts of Evolution: Nonsensical Fruit, Missing Partners, and Other Ecological Anachronisms:

The yaupon holly, Ilex vomitoria, an evergreen holly shrub with white flowers and red or yellow berries, found in the south-eastern United States.


winterberry

From winter + berry; from the berries' persistence throughout the winter.

Ilex verticillata
Ilex verticillata#Translingual

A species of holly native to the United States and Canada and producing red berries, Ilex verticillata.


coralberry

coralberry (countable and uncountable, plural coralberries)

American winterberry
American winterberry

American winterberry, Ilex verticillata.


black alder

black alder (countable and uncountable, plural black alders)

Alnus glutinosa
Alnus glutinosa#Translingual

(countable, uncountable) A tree (Alnus glutinosa), of many practical uses, growing in moist conditions in Europe.


American holly

American holly (usually uncountable, plural American hollies)

On all American hollies, a vertical incision, three-fourths of an inch above basal cut, helps materially in producing a better root system.

1956, National Horticultural Magazine, volumes 35-36, American Horticultural Society, page 174:

The American holly was accepted as Delaware's state tree on May 1, 1939.

2002, Jennifer Quasha, How to Draw Delaware's Sights and Symbols, page 20:

Most familiar among them is the American Holly (Ilex opaca) whose prickly, broad evergreen leaves and bright red berries are a welcome splash of color in the winter landscape, as well as a symbol of the Christmas holiday.

2008, Mike Bottini, The Walking Dunes: East Hampton's Hidden Treasure, page 87:

A species of holly, Ilex opaca, native to the eastern United States.


inkberry

inkberry (countable and uncountable, plural inkberries)

Any of various plants that bear dark berries, or the berries themselves:


hulver

From Middle English hulver, hulfere, from Old Norse hulfr (“holly”), akin to English holly.


black drink

black drink (usually uncountable, plural black drinks)

A tea-like drink made by Native Americans, and then by other peoples, having exhilarant and diuretic properties, thought to have been brewed with Ilex vomitoria (yaupon) or Ilex cassine leaves.


black alder winterberry

black alder winterberry (countable and uncountable, plural black alder winterberries)

From its preference for sites similar to those preferred by black alder.

A deciduous holly shrub, Ilex verticillata, native to eastern North America, growing best in moist circumstances.


white alder

A common alder of western North America, Alnus rhombifolia.


American winterberry

Ilex verticillata, a species of holly native to eastern North America in the United States and southeast Canada, from Newfoundland west to Ontario and Minnesota, and south to Alabama.


inkberry holly

inkberry holly (countable and uncountable, plural inkberry hollies)


European holly

Ilex aquifolium
Ilex aquifolium#Translingual

Ilex aquifolium, a species of holly known for its use during Christmastime


English holly

European holly, common holly (Ilex aquifolium), a tree or shrub of western Europe and suitable environments in areas surrounding the Mediterranean Sea.


common holly

common holly (usually uncountable, plural common hollies)

English holly, the most common European species of holly (Ilex aquifolium), which is native to western Europe and regions around the Mediterranean.


Christmas holly

Christmas holly (usually uncountable, plural Christmas hollies)