Etymology of carol

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗

noun

A round dance accompanied by singing. · A ballad or song of joy. · A (usually traditional) religious or secular song sung at Christmastime. · A small closet or enclosure built against the inner side of a window of a monastery's cloister, to sit in for study.

verb

To participate in a carol (a round dance accompanied by singing). · To sing in a joyful manner. · To sing carols; especially to sing Christmas carols in a group. · To praise or celebrate in song.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

The noun is derived from Middle English carole (“round dance with singing; group of people dancing and singing in a circle; song by carollers, carol; religious poem or song; circular thing; braid, chain (?); stall for study or writing; writing table”), from Old French carole (“round dance with singing”). The further etymology is uncertain; the following possibilities have been suggested: * From Old Italian carola, or directly from its etymon Medieval Latin choraula, a variant of choraulēs (“flute player accompanying a chorus dance”), from Ancient Greek χοραυλής (khoraulḗs, “one who accompanies a chorus on the flute”), from χορός (khorós, “choir; dance”) + αὐλός (aulós, “flute”). * From Latin corōlla (“little crown, coronet; small chaplet, garland, or wreath”), from corōna (“chaplet, garland, wreath”) + -la (diminutive suffix). Corōna is borrowed from Ancient Greek κορώνη (korṓnē, “type of crown; curved object (door handle, tip of a bow, stern of a ship, etc.)”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- (“to turn, bend”). Compare chorus, terpsichorean. Noun sense 3 (“small closet or enclosure”) may refer to the fact that the item encloses or surrounds the person using it. The verb is derived from Middle English carolen (“to dance and/or sing in a round dance; to sing for (dancers in a round dance); (figurative) to spend time noisily or unprofitably”), from Old French caroler (“to sing”), from carole (noun) (see above) + -er (a variant of -ier (suffix forming infinitives of first-conjugation verbs)).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Root classification mention*ǵʰer-ine-pro
Root classification mention*(s)ker-ine-pro
Inherited-form mentioncaroleenm · round dance with singing; group of people dancing and singing in a circle; song by carollers, carol; religious poem or song; circular thing; braid, chain (?); stall for study or writing; writing table
Derivation mentioncarolefro · round dance with singing
Derivation mentionχοραυλήςgrc · one who accompanies a chorus on the flute
Derivation mentioncorōllala · little crown, coronet; small chaplet, garland, or wreath
Derivation mentionκορώνηgrc · type of crown; curved object (door handle, tip of a bow, stern of a ship, etc.)
Derivation mention*(s)ker-ine-pro · to turn, bend
Inherited-form mentioncarolenenm · to dance and/or sing in a round dance; to sing for (dancers in a round dance); (figurative) to spend time noisily or unprofitably
Derivation mentioncarolerfro · to sing

This page abbreviates 1 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "dercat",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "grk-pro",
        "3": "ine-pro"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "ref",
      "args": {
        "1": "<span class=\"cited-source\"><span style=\"font-style: normal;\">[Jacobus Finno] (1582), <cite>Piæ cantiones ecclesiasticæ et scholasticæ vetervm episcoporum, in inclyto regno Sueciæ passim vsurpatæ, nuper studio viri cuiusdam reuerendiss: de ecclesia Dei & schola Aboënsi in Finlandia optimè meriti accuratè à mendis correctæ, & nunc typis commissæ, opera Theodorici Petri Nylandensis. His adiecti sunt aliquot ex psalmis recentioribus</cite> [<cite>Pious Ecclesiastical and School Songs of the Ancient Bishops, Used throughout the Glorious Kingdom of Sweden, Recently Accurately Corrected from Mistakes by the Study of a Very Respectable Man of Great Merit of the Church of God and the Aboensian School in Finland, and now Committed to Typography, by the Work of Theodoricus Petrus of Nyland. Some of the More Recent Psalms were Added to These.</cite>], Greifswald: [Theodoricus Petri Rutha of Nyland]; imprimebatur Gryphisuualdiæ, per Augustinum Ferberum [printed in Greifswald, by Augustine Ferber], <small>→OCLC</small></span></span>.",
        "group": "n",
        "name": "n1"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "root",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*ǵʰer-",
        "4": "*(s)ker-",
        "id2": "turn"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "dercat",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "langname",
      "args": {
        "1": "ine-pro"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European"
    },
    {
      "name": "word",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine",
        "3": "ǵʰoros"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "dercat",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "langname",
      "args": {
        "1": "ine-pro"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European"
    },
    {
      "name": "word",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine",
        "3": "h₂ewlos"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "lg",
      "args": {
        "1": "noun"
      },
      "expansion": "noun"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "carole",
        "t": "round dance with singing; group of people dancing and singing in a circle; song by carollers, carol; religious poem or song; circular thing; braid, chain (?); stall for study or writing; writing table"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English carole (“round dance with singing; group of people dancing and singing in a circle; song by carollers, carol; religious poem or song; circular thing; braid, chain (?); stall for study or writing; writing table”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fro",
        "3": "carole",
        "t": "round dance with singing"
      },
      "expansion": "Old French carole (“round dance with singing”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "roa-oit",
        "3": "carola"
      },
      "expansion": "Old Italian carola"
    },
    {
      "name": "lg",
      "args": {
        "1": "etymon"
      },
      "expansion": "etymon"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la-med",
        "3": "choraula"
      },
      "expansion": "Medieval Latin choraula"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "grc",
        "3": "χοραυλής",
        "t": "one who accompanies a chorus on the flute"
      },
      "expansion": "Ancient Greek χοραυλής (khoraulḗs, “one who accompanies a chorus on the flute”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "corōlla",
        "t": "little crown, coronet; small chaplet, garland, or wreath"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin corōlla (“little crown, coronet; small chaplet, garland, or wreath”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "lg",
      "args": {
        "1": "diminutive"
      },
      "expansion": "diminutive"
    },
    {
      "name": "lg",
      "args": {
        "1": "suffix"
      },
      "expansion": "suffix"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "grc",
        "3": "κορώνη",
        "t": "type of crown; curved object (door handle, tip of a bow, stern of a ship, etc.)"
      },
      "expansion": "Ancient Greek κορώνη (korṓnē, “type of crown; curved object (door handle, tip of a bow, stern of a ship, etc.)”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*(s)ker-",
        "t": "to turn, bend"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- (“to turn, bend”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "senseno",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "architecture",
        "t": "small closet or enclosure",
        "cap": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Noun sense 3 (“small closet or enclosure”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "lg",
      "args": {
        "1": "verb"
      },
      "expansion": "verb"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "carolen",
        "t": "to dance and/or sing in a round dance; to sing for (dancers in a round dance); (figurative) to spend time noisily or unprofitably"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English carolen (“to dance and/or sing in a round dance; to sing for (dancers in a round dance); (figurative) to spend time noisily or unprofitably”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fro",
        "3": "caroler",
        "t": "to sing"
      },
      "expansion": "Old French caroler (“to sing”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "lg",
      "args": {
        "1": "infinitive"
      },
      "expansion": "infinitive"
    },
    {
      "name": "lg",
      "args": {
        "1": "conjugation"
      },
      "expansion": "conjugation"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "score",
      "score#Noun"
    ],
    [
      "sacred",
      "sacred"
    ],
    [
      "Christmas",
      "Christmas"
    ],
    [
      "carole",
      "carole#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "carole",
      "carole#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "carola",
      "carola#Italian"
    ],
    [
      "choraula",
      "choraula#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "choraulēs",
      "choraules#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "χοραυλής",
      "χοραυλής#Ancient_Greek"
    ],
    [
      "χορός",
      "χορός#Ancient_Greek"
    ],
    [
      "αὐλός",
      "αὐλός#Ancient_Greek"
    ],
    [
      "corōlla",
      "corolla#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "corōna",
      "corona#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "-la",
      "-la#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "κορώνη",
      "κορώνη#Ancient_Greek"
    ],
    [
      "*(s)ker-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/(s)ker-"
    ],
    [
      "chorus",
      "chorus#English"
    ],
    [
      "terpsichorean",
      "terpsichorean#English"
    ],
    [
      "carolen",
      "carolen#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "caroler",
      "caroler#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "carole",
      "carole#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "-er",
      "-er#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "-ier",
      "-ier#Old_French"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A round dance accompanied by singing.",
        "A ballad or song of joy.",
        "A (usually traditional) religious or secular song sung at Christmastime.",
        "A small closet or enclosure built against the inner side of a window of a monastery's cloister, to sit in for study."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "historical",
        "specifically",
        "obsolete"
      ],
      "recordId": "787b6c21c64cf0205bea67bcdba92d3108aa38a7a09f7799707fd475271470dd",
      "rawRecordSha256": "2f24ac44538384d19bc214ad4cbd7548dfc2bbc81a58f9a3e974b30b9c84bafa",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 185927
    },
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To participate in a carol (a round dance accompanied by singing).",
        "To sing in a joyful manner.",
        "To sing carols; especially to sing Christmas carols in a group.",
        "To praise or celebrate in song."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "historical",
        "intransitive",
        "literary",
        "transitive"
      ],
      "recordId": "8903bd5412da6971537e7e0aecfe2aa8e5a5911c82c72b6ffd7d78323ceb836e",
      "rawRecordSha256": "1dfc95fac13160e2a98e01d072de630084ff5ba00e7317e8eb40a5a05d218696",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 185928
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 1,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

The source etymologies

Unnumbered source etymology

Relationships mentioned by the source

Where this record stops

Source and snapshot