Etymology
1. c.1300, from O.Fr.
carole "kind of dance," from M.L.
choraula "a dance to the flute," from L.
choraules, from Gk.
choraules "flute player who accompanies the choral dance," from
choros "chorus" +
aulein "to play the flute," from
aulos "reed instrument." The meaning of "Christmas hymn" is 1502.
2. 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:
3. * 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”).
4. * 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”).
5. Compare chorus, terpsichorean.
6. Noun sense 3 (“small closet or enclosure”) may refer to the fact that the item encloses or surrounds the person using it.
7. 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)). See: Old French '
caroler'.
Verbs referencing "carol"
Breton
korolliñ.