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carol

[ kar-uhl ]
/ ˈkær əl /
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noun
verb (used without object), car·oled, car·ol·ing or (especially British) car·olled, car·ol·ling.
to sing Christmas songs or hymns, especially in a group performing in a public place or going from house to house.
to sing, especially in a lively, joyous manner; warble.
verb (used with object), car·oled, car·ol·ing or (especially British) car·olled, car·ol·ling.
to sing joyously.
to praise or celebrate in song.
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Origin of carol

1250–1300; Middle English carole ring, circle (of stones), enclosed place for study (see carrel), ringdance with song (hence, song) <Anglo-French carole,Old French *corole (compare Old Provençal corola), apparently <Latin corolla garland (see corolla), conflated with Latin choraula<Greek choraúlēs piper for choral dance, equivalent to chor(ós) chorus + -aulēs, derivative of aulós pipe

OTHER WORDS FROM carol

car·ol·er; especially British, car·ol·ler, nounoutcarol, verb (used with object), out·car·oled, out·car·ol·ing or (especially British) out·car·olled, out·car·ol·ling.un·car·oled, adjectiveun·car·olled, adjective

Other definitions for carol (2 of 3)

Carol
[ kar-uhl ]
/ ˈkær əl /
noun
a male or female given name.

Other definitions for carol (3 of 3)

Carol.
abbreviation
Carolingian.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to carol

ballad, canticle, chorus, ditty, lay, madrigal, song, strain, canzonet

How to use carol in a sentence

  • There were some thirty verses, and every mortal verse did these zealous carollers give us.

    The Little Manx Nation - 1891|Hall Caine

  • Christmas carollers were making an ungodly racket on the station platform.

    Plowing On Sunday|Sterling North

  • Against the deferential gentleman he ranges all saints and poets, "His carollers and gay minstrels—His merry men."

    The Life of Francis Thompson|Everard Meynell

British Dictionary definitions for carol

carol
/ (ˈkærəl) /
noun
a joyful hymn or religious song, esp one (a Christmas carol) celebrating the birth of Christ
archaic an old English circular dance
verb -ols, -olling or -olled or US -ols, -oling or -oled
(intr) to sing carols at Christmas
to sing (something) in a joyful manner

Derived forms of carol

caroler or caroller, nouncaroling or carolling, noun

Word Origin for carol

C13: from Old French, of uncertain origin
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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