mistletoe: [OE] Mistletoe is a mystery word. It means literally ‘mistletoe twig’, and comes from an Old English compound misteltān formed from mistel ‘mistletoe’ and tān ‘twig’. The origins of mistel, however (which has relatives in German mistil and Dutch and Swedish mistel), are unknown. The mistle thrush [18], or missel thrush, got its name from its predilection for mistletoe berries. [mistletoe etymology, mistletoe origin, 英语词源]