Where does “Yule tree” come from?

Yule tree (English) comes from English Yule, from Middle English yol, from Old English ġeōl, from Proto-Germanic jeulō, from Proto-Germanic jehwlą, from Proto-Indo-European yekə- — joke, play.

Yule tree (English): A Christmas tree

Definitions

  1. A Christmas tree

Ancestry of “Yule tree”, step by step

Yule tree traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English Yule

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishYuleChristmas
2Middle EnglishyolYuletide, the twelve days of Christmas
3Old EnglishġeōlChristmas, Yule
4Proto-Germanicjeulōnominative/vocative/accusative plural of *jehwlą
5Proto-Germanicjehwląfestivity, celebration; Yule
6Proto-Indo-Europeanyekə-joke, play

via English tree

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishtreeA perennial woody plant, not exactly defined, but...
2Middle EnglishtreA tree or a plant that resembles one
Every word from Proto-Indo-European yekə- →
Yule tree — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer