"Belsnickel" meaning in Pennsylvania German

{
  "descendants": [
    {
      "depth": 1,
      "templates": [
        {
          "args": {
            "1": "en",
            "2": "Belsnickel",
            "bor": "1"
          },
          "expansion": "→ English: Belsnickel",
          "name": "desc"
        }
      ],
      "text": "→ English: Belsnickel"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Certainly a compound of some /bɛls/ syllable plus a diminutive/hypocorism of the name Nicholas; the first component is conventionally viewed as Bels (pelt/fur), but the homophony involved with pelts (furs/Bels/pels) and pelting (belting/beating/belse/pelzen) is evidenced in all of these Germanic languages (English, Pennsylvania German, and some German dialects) and cannot be excluded as an influence on the overlapping notions of Belsnickel as a pelt-clad figure who pelts naughty children. For example, some Rhenish dialects have pelzen or belzen, \"to wallop or to drub\", and Pennsylvania German has belse, \"to beat/flog\".",
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "pdc",
        "2": "proper noun",
        "g": "m"
      },
      "expansion": "Belsnickel m",
      "name": "head"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "Pennsylvania German",
  "lang_code": "pdc",
  "pos": "name",
  "senses": [
    {
      "glosses": [
        "Belsnickel"
      ],
      "id": "en-Belsnickel-pdc-name-dG0zJe7H",
      "links": [
        [
          "Belsnickel",
          "Belsnickel#English"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ]
    },
    {
      "glosses": [
        "St. Nicholas"
      ],
      "id": "en-Belsnickel-pdc-name-gldC4zX~",
      "links": [
        [
          "St. Nicholas",
          "St. Nicholas"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "0 3 96",
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "pdc",
          "name": "Christmas",
          "orig": "pdc:Christmas",
          "parents": [
            "Christianity",
            "Holidays",
            "Abrahamism",
            "Observances",
            "Religion",
            "Calendar",
            "Culture",
            "Timekeeping",
            "Society",
            "Time",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "1 3 96",
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "pdc",
          "name": "European folklore",
          "orig": "pdc:European folklore",
          "parents": [
            "Europe",
            "Folklore",
            "Earth",
            "Eurasia",
            "Culture",
            "Nature",
            "Society",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Santa Claus"
      ],
      "id": "en-Belsnickel-pdc-name-eoDGmg8D",
      "links": [
        [
          "Santa Claus",
          "Santa Claus"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "Belsnickel"
}

{
  "categories": [
    "Pages with 3 entries",
    "Pages with entries",
    "Pennsylvania German entries with incorrect language header",
    "Pennsylvania German lemmas",
    "Pennsylvania German masculine nouns",
    "Pennsylvania German proper nouns",
    "pdc:Christmas",
    "pdc:European folklore"
  ],
  "descendants": [
    {
      "depth": 1,
      "templates": [
        {
          "args": {
            "1": "en",
            "2": "Belsnickel",
            "bor": "1"
          },
          "expansion": "→ English: Belsnickel",
          "name": "desc"
        }
      ],
      "text": "→ English: Belsnickel"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Certainly a compound of some /bɛls/ syllable plus a diminutive/hypocorism of the name Nicholas; the first component is conventionally viewed as Bels (pelt/fur), but the homophony involved with pelts (furs/Bels/pels) and pelting (belting/beating/belse/pelzen) is evidenced in all of these Germanic languages (English, Pennsylvania German, and some German dialects) and cannot be excluded as an influence on the overlapping notions of Belsnickel as a pelt-clad figure who pelts naughty children. For example, some Rhenish dialects have pelzen or belzen, \"to wallop or to drub\", and Pennsylvania German has belse, \"to beat/flog\".",
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "pdc",
        "2": "proper noun",
        "g": "m"
      },
      "expansion": "Belsnickel m",
      "name": "head"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "Pennsylvania German",
  "lang_code": "pdc",
  "pos": "name",
  "senses": [
    {
      "glosses": [
        "Belsnickel"
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "Belsnickel",
          "Belsnickel#English"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ]
    },
    {
      "glosses": [
        "St. Nicholas"
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "St. Nicholas",
          "St. Nicholas"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ]
    },
    {
      "glosses": [
        "Santa Claus"
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "Santa Claus",
          "Santa Claus"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "Belsnickel"
}