Midwinter Mist

Midwinter

Midwinter is the middle of the winter. The term is attested in the early Germanic calendars where it was a period or a day which may have been determined by a lunisolar calendar before it was adapted into the Gregorian calendar. It appears with several meanings in later sources. In Old English, midwinter could mean Christmas Day or sometimes the Christmas season; indirectly it could also mean the winter solstice, which was regarded as 25 December. In Old Norse, miðvetr (midwinter) meant either the first day or entire period of the Scandinavian month Þorri. Since the 18th century, it has sometimes been misunderstood as synonymous with the astronomical winter solstice, which the word also can refer to in contemporary English.

Mist

Mist is a natural phenomenon caused by small droplets of water aerosols suspended in the cold air, usually by condensation. Physically, it is an example of a dispersion, most commonly seen where water vapor in warm, moist air meets sudden cooling, such as in exhaled air in the winter, or when hot sauna steam is suddenly released outside. Mist occurs naturally as part of weather, typically when humid air comes into contact with surfaces that are much cooler. It can also be created artificially with aerosol spray dispensers if the humidity and temperature conditions are right.

midwinter

Noun

1. The middle of winter.
2. The winter solstice; about December 21st or 22nd.

Adjective

1. Of or occurring in the middle of winter.

mist

Noun

1. Water or other liquid finely suspended in air.
2. A layer of fine droplets or particles.

Verb

1. To form mist.
2. To spray fine droplets on, particularly of water.