Thanksgiving Words!

Thanksgiving is just around the corner. What comes to your mind when you think about this national holiday? Some might say the day is all about family, watching football, and savoring a special spread of festive foods.

Why don’t we celebrate this holiday with its own unique set of vocabulary words that can be used to describe everything from the foods on the table to the celebratory festivities?

 

    1.   The word “____________” took place in the 1200s, and it comes from the Latin bonitās, meaning “goodness.” Its synonym “abundance” is a central theme of the modern Thanksgiving celebration.

 

    2.   The word “______________” is interchangeably used with stuffing. This word has become a popular alternative to the word stuffing during the Victorian era. Today, ________________ or stuffing are both acceptable terms for the popular seasoned breadcrumb side dish.

 

    3.   A “___________________” (i.e., a symbol of abundance) overflowing with pumpkins and other vegetables is one of the more popular images associated with Thanksgiving. According to classical mythology, this is “a horn containing food, drink, etc., in endless supply, said to have been a horn of the goat Amalthaea.”

 

4.   In the States, quite of few people (especially runners) sign up for a 5K race that takes place on the morning of Thanksgiving, which is called a “_____________ Trot”. Since the days back in the 1830s, the term “____________ trot” has referred to a dance done by couples to ragtime music that involves “a springy walk with little or no bending of the knees, and accompanied by a swinging motion of the body with shoulder movements up and down.”

 

    5.   On Thanksgiving, people give thanks to one another. Another way to say that is that people express their “_______________”.

 

    6.   The word “_____________” can be used to describe “the hard-shelled fruit of any of various plants,” though it’s important to note that a gourd is not quite the same thing as a squash. Pumpkins, zucchini, and butternut squash are all types of squash, whereas “_______________” typically describes decorative varieties of squash that aren’t eaten. The word gourd dates back to the end of the 13th century.

 

    7.   Thanksgiving is also a time to gather with your chosen family. The word “_________________” has grown in popularity as “a gathering of friends to celebrate Thanksgiving with a feast, falling near or on Thanksgiving Day.” Since many people travel to visit family for Thanksgiving, this is a way to connect with dear friends who may not be near on the actual Thanksgiving holiday.

 

    8.   Turkey is the standard Thanksgiving food, but have you heard the word “___________________”? It is “a deboned turkey that is stuffed with a deboned duck that is stuffed with a deboned chicken.” The word turducken is a _______________ word, a blended word made from the parts of other words. Another example “________________” is a blend of the words tofu and turkey.

 

    9.   By the end of Thanksgiving holiday, you might find yourself with a “food ___________”. It is “the bloated appearance of the stomach area after eating a large amount of food, giving the person the appearance of being pregnant.” In other words, you might say you have a “food ___________” when you’re feeling very, very full.

 

Hope everyone of you out there have a peaceful and grateful Thanksgiving holiday!

 

**source from dictionary.com

 

 

 

Answer Keys

    1.  bounty

    2.  dressing

    3.  cornucopia

    4.  Turkey Trot, Turkey Trot

    5.  gratitude

    6.  gourd(e)

    7.  Friendsgiving

    8.  turducken

    9.  food baby, food baby