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San·ta Claus

(săntə klôz′)

The personification of the spirit of Christmas, usually represented as a jolly fat old man with a white beard and a red suit, who brings gifts to good children on Christmas Eve.

[Probably alteration of Dutch Sinterklaas, from Middle Dutch Sinterclaes, St. Nicholas : sint, saint (from Middle Dutch, from Old French saint; see SAINT) + heer, lord; see MYNHEER + claes (short for Niclaes, Nicholas).]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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