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carol

 
Dictionary: car·ol   (kăr'əl) pronunciation
n.
  1. A song of praise or joy, especially for Christmas.
  2. An old round dance often accompanied by singing.

v., -oled, also -olled, -ol·ing, -ol·ling, -ols, -ols.

v.intr.
  1. To sing in a loud, joyous manner.
  2. To go from house to house singing Christmas songs.
v.tr.
  1. To celebrate in or as if in song: caroling the victory.
  2. To sing loudly and joyously.

[Middle English carole, round dance with singing, from Old French, probably from Late Latin choraula, choral song, from Latin choraulēs, accompanist, from Greek khoraulēs : khoros, choral dance + aulos, flute.]

caroler car'ol·er or car'ol·ler n.

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Popular song, usually of religious joy, associated with a season, especially Christmas. It typically alternates verses with a repeated refrain or chorus. The carol originated in medieval England, with texts in English or Latin or both, and it was often associated with dancing and processions. The French noël, the German Weihnachtslied, and the Spanish villancico can also be regarded as carols.

For more information on carol, visit Britannica.com.

Thesaurus: carol
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carol, a song of religious rejoicing, usually associated with Christmas or Easter in the Christian calendar. In the Middle Ages, however, a carol could be a purely secular song of love or satire. A carol in this earlier sense is a song appropriate for a round dance, composed in regular rhyming stanzas with a refrain or burden: a common form was the four‐line stanza rhyming aaab with a two‐line burden rhyming bb.

Architecture: carol
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An area in a cloister set off by screens, partitions, or railings; similar in use to a carrel.


 
carol, popular hymn, of joyful nature, in celebration of an occasion such as May Day, Easter, or Christmas. The earliest English carols date from the 15th cent. The carol is characterized by simplicity of thought and expression. Many are thought to be adaptations of pagan songs. Despite the folk-song character of true carols, many Christmas hymns composed in the 19th cent. have been called carols. The oldest printed carol is the Boar's Head Carol, printed in 1521 by Wynkyn de Worde. Carols of French origin are called noels.

Bibliography

See R. L. Greene, The Early English Carols (1935); E. Routley, The English Carol (1958); P. Dearmer et al., ed., The Oxford Book of Carols (1928, repr. 1964).


Word Tutor: carol
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pronunciation

IN BRIEF: n. - A joyful song (usually celebrating the birth of Christ); Joyful religious song celebrating the birth of Christ v. - Sing joyful songs.

Tutor's tip: After studying all day in the "carrel" (small cubicle used for individual study in the library), she went to the "carole" (a round dance) where they also sang a beautiful "carol" (joyous Christmas song).

Translations: Carol
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Dansk (Danish)
n. - julesang, niche, lovsang, karnapbænk
v. intr. - gå fra hus til hus og synge julesange
v. tr. - lovsynge, prise med sang

Nederlands (Dutch)
kerstlied, kerstliederen zingen, vreugdevol zingen

Français (French)
n. - chant de Noël
v. intr. - chanter des chants de Noël, chanter joyeusement (littér), gazouiller, siffler (de la flûte, du piccolo)
v. tr. - chanter joyeusement, gazouiller

Deutsch (German)
n. - Weihnachtslied, fröhliches Lied
v. - Weihnachtslieder singen, fröhlich singen

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - θρησκευτικός ύμνος, (πληθ.) κάλαντα
v. - τραγουδώ, υμνώ, λέω τα κάλαντα

Italiano (Italian)
canzone di Natale, inno

Português (Portuguese)
n. - cântico (m), gorjeio (m)
v. - cantar, gorjear

Русский (Russian)
рождественская песня

Español (Spanish)
n. - villancico
v. intr. - cantar villancicos
v. tr. - cantar villancicos

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - lovsång, julsång
v. - jubla, (gå runt och) sjunga julsånger, sjunga

中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))
颂歌, 欢乐的歌, 唱圣诞颂歌, 欢乐地歌唱, 歌颂, 欢唱

中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 頌歌, 歡樂的歌
v. intr. - 唱聖誕頌歌, 歡樂地歌唱
v. tr. - 歌頌, 歡唱

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 기쁨의 노래
v. intr. - 기뻐 노래하다, 재잘거리다
v. tr. - 기뻐 노래하다, 재잘거리다

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 喜びの歌
v. - 楽しく歌う, 祝歌を歌う

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) أغنيه دينيه, ترنيمه (فعل) يغني, يغرد‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮שיר הלל, שיר עליז, מזמור לחג-המולד‬
v. intr. - ‮הילל, זימר, שר‬
v. tr. - ‮הילל, זימר, שר‬


 
 
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Weihnachtslied
carrol
Carol Stream (village of northeast Illinois)

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