carol

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈkæɹəl/; /ˈkɛɹəl/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

It is Middle English, borrowed from Old French carole (“a round dance accompanied by singers”), of uncertain or unknown origin.^[2][3][4][5] It is perhaps an alteration of Latin choraula, one who accompanies a choral dance on the flute, or Medieval Latin choraula, a dance to the flute,^[3][2][6] from Greek χοραύλης (khoraúlēs), from χορός (khorós), dance, chorus (see chorus), and αὐλός (aulós), a reed instrument.^[3][2]

Earliest recorded meaning

A ring dance with song, or the merrymaking at which such dances were held: before 1300.^[7][3]

Semantic evolution

A song, originally the one danced to, is from 1303,^[7] and the verb, to dance in a ring, from about 1300, and to sing joyously from the late 14th century.^[2][3] A ring of standing stones, as at Stonehenge, was a carol in 1330.^[7] A song or hymn of religious joy is from before 1547,^[7] and a hymn of joy at Christmas from 1502.^[3][7] Going from house to house singing Christmas carols is from 1879, said to be a Victorian revival of an older custom.^[2]

Timeline

• before 1300 – a ring dance.^[7]
• 1303 – a song.^[7]
• 1330 – a ring of stones.^[7]
• 1502 – a Christmas carol.^[3]
• 1879 – to go carolling.^[2]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A joyful song or hymn, especially one sung at Christmas.
2. (historical) A medieval round dance accompanied by singing.

Verb

1. To sing joyfully.
2. To go from house to house singing Christmas carols.

Word family

• caroler
• outcarol

Related words

• chorus
• hymn
• noel

Usage notes

Carol, the personal name, is a different word: as a man's name from Medieval Latin Carolus, as a woman's name short for Caroline.^[2] In Durham dialect a carol was a small enclosed pew or closet.^[8]

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. ^ a b c d e f g Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
4. ^ Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
7. ^ a b c d e f g h Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
8. ^ Wright, Joseph, ed. (1898–1905), The English Dialect Dictionary, 6 vols., Oxford: Henry Frowde; via EDD Online 4.0, University of Innsbruck (CC BY 4.0)