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car·ni·val 
Audio Help [kahr-nuh-vuhl] Pronunciation Key
—Related forms
Audio Help [kahr-nuh-vuhl] Pronunciation Key –noun
| 1. | a traveling amusement show, having sideshows, rides, etc. |
| 2. | any merrymaking, revelry, or festival, as a program of sports or entertainment: a winter carnival. |
| 3. | the season immediately preceding Lent, often observed with merrymaking; Shrovetide. |
[Origin: 1540–50; < It carnevale, OIt carnelevare taking meat away, equiv. to carne flesh (< L carnem, acc. of caro) + levare < L levāre to lift]
] —Related forms
car·ni·val·esque, car·ni·val·like, adjective
—Synonyms 2. fair, celebration, fete, holiday.
| Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006. |
Carnival
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| car·ni·val
Audio Help (kär'nə-vəl) Pronunciation Key
n.
[Italian carnevale, from Old Italian carnelevare, Shrovetide : carne, meat (from Latin carō, carn-; see sker-1 in Indo-European roots) + levare, to remove (from Latin levāre, to raise; see legwh- in Indo-European roots).] |
| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
carnival
1549, "time of merrymaking before Lent," from It. carnevale "Shrove Tuesday," from older It. forms like Milanese *carnelevale, O.Pisan carnelevare "to remove meat," lit. "raising flesh," from L. caro "flesh" + levare "lighten, raise;" folk etymology is from M.L. carne vale " 'flesh, farewell.' " Meaning "a circus or fair" is 1931, N.Amer., as is the short form carny for "one who works at a carnival."
| Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper |
| carnival | |
noun | |
| 1. | a festival marked by merrymaking and processions |
| 2. | a frenetic disorganized (and often comic) disturbance suggestive of a large public entertainment; "it was so funny it was a circus"; "the whole occasion had a carnival atmosphere" [syn: circus] |
| 3. | a traveling show; having sideshows and rides and games of skill etc. |
| WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University. |
carnival [ˈkaːnivəl] noun
a public entertainment, often involving processions of people in fancy dress etc
Example: a winter carnival
Example: a winter carnival
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| Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary, © 2000-2006 K Dictionaries Ltd. |
Carnival
Car"ni*val\, n. [It. carnevale, prob. for older carnelevale, prop., the putting away of meat; fr. L. caro, carnis, flesh + levare to take away, lift up, fr. levis light.]1. A festival celebrated with merriment and revelry in Roman Gatholic countries during the week before Lent, esp. at Rome and Naples, during a few days (three to ten) before Lent, ending with Shrove Tuesday. The carnival at Venice is everywhere talked of. --Addison. 2. Any merrymaking, feasting, or masquerading, especially when overstepping the bounds of decorum; a time of riotous excess. --Tennyson. He saw the lean dogs beneath the wall Hold o'er the dead their carnival --Byron.| Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc. |
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