Etymologically
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This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 14 October 2026 at 23:57. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈkæɹəsɛl/, /ˌkæɹəˈzɛl/; /ˌkærəˈsɛl/ (UK); /ˌkæɹəˈsɛl/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from French carrousel (“tilting match”),[2][3][4][5] from Italian carosello.[2][4][5] Random House traces the Italian word, the name of a ball game, to Neapolitan dialect carusello, a clay ball, literally “little head”;[5] Etymonline suggests instead that it may come from carro “chariot”, from Latin carrus.[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

A tournament in which knights or horsemen, divided into companies, performed various exercises (1650).[6][4][3]

Semantic evolution

The OED notes that many writers have wrongly identified the word with carousal.[6] The sense “merry-go-round”, chiefly American, is recorded from 1673 in the OED,[6] though Etymonline dates the amusement ride to 1895.[3] In the 20th century the name passed to revolving devices, especially the conveyor that delivers luggage at airports (1961).[6][4][5]

Timeline

  • 1640–50 – Random House's dating.[5]
  • 1650 – a tournament of horsemen.[6][4]
  • 1673 – a merry-go-round (OED, 1895 in Etymonline).[6][3]
  • 1961 – a revolving conveyor, as for luggage at airports.[6]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A merry-go-round.
  2. A circular conveyor on which objects are displayed or delivered, such as baggage at an airport.
  3. (historical) A tournament in which knights or horsemen took part in exercises and races.
  • carousal
  • merry-go-round
  • roundabout

Usage notes

It should not be confused with carousal, a bout of carousing.[1][6]

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  3. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c d e Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ a b c d e Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  6. ^ 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