Noel

[ noh-el for 1, 2; noh-uh l, nohl for 3 ]

/ noʊˈɛl for 1, 2; ˈnoʊ əl, noʊl for 3 /

noun

the Christmas season; yuletide.

(lowercase) a Christmas song or carol.

a male given name.

Origin of Noel

1805–15; < French ≪ Latin nātālis (diēs) birthday; see natal

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for noel

Noel Canning comes out of the dysfunction surrounding appointments to the five-member NLRB.
Deregulators Lost at the Supreme Court When It Comes to Blocking Presidential Appointees|Aziz Haq|June 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Grossman recruited Noel Stookey instead, who henceforth went by his middle name Paul.
Fact Vs. Fiction in ‘Inside Llewyn Davis’: The Real Story of Folk is Far Less Dejected Than the Movie|Jimmy So|December 4, 2013|DAILY BEAST
But the real reason for the outcry to the joke was contained in the article written by Noel Sheppard of Newsbusters.
The Tea Party’s War on Comedy|Dean Obeidallah|October 24, 2013|DAILY BEAST
In the early 2000s, Dutschke joined a Tupelo studio called Kinetic Kick owned by Noel McMichael.
Ricin Suspect J. Everett Dutschke Arrested|Winston Ross|April 27, 2013|DAILY BEAST

The rest is filler, which means you have to listen to “The First Noel” and “The Christmas Song” a lot more than you might like.
Christmas Music Sucks (Mostly), but Here’s a Playlist of Holiday Gems|Malcolm Jones|December 7, 2012|DAILY BEAST
They did not speak of Noel as a rule, but one evening she expressed her views roundly.
Saint's Progress|John Galsworthy
That startling consideration terrified Noel Vanstone into instant submission.
No Name|Wilkie Collins
The entrance of the maid with the tea-tray interrupted this amorous duet, of which Noel had experienced more than one repetition.
The Widow Lerouge|Emile Gaboriau
Noel had got brown-paper boots too, and a Turkish towel cloak.
The Wouldbegoods|E. Nesbit
Noel would go in, and we saw where Gordon was buried—at least the monument.
The Story of the Treasure Seekers|E. Nesbit

British Dictionary definitions for noel

Noel

Nol

/ (nəʊˈɛl) /

noun

(esp in carols) another word for Christmas

(often not capital) rare a Christmas carol

Word Origin for Noel

C19: from French, from Latin nātālis a birthday; see natal 1

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

Word Origin and History for noel

Noel

late 14c., nowel "feast of Christmas," from Old French noel "the Christmas season," variant of nael, from Latin natalis (dies) "birth (day)," in Church Latin in reference to the birthday of Christ, from natus, past participle of nasci "be born" (Old Latin gnasci; see genus). The modern word in English, with the sense "a Christmas carol" (1811) probably is a separate borrowing from French. As a masc. proper name, from Old French, probably literally "of or born on Christmas."

Noel

noun

RELATED WORDS

Origin of Noel

Examples from the Web for noel

British Dictionary definitions for noel

Noel

Nol

noun

Word Origin for Noel

Word Origin and History for noel

Noel