carol (English)

Where does "carol" come from?

The word 'carol' traces back to the Old French 'carole,' which originally referred to a dance performed in a circle while singing. Its deeper history is debated, with theories suggesting it stems from either the Greek 'khoraulēs', referring to a flute player accompanying a dance, or the Latin 'corolla,' meaning a small wreath or crown. Over time, the term evolved in English from a specific type of round dance to include the songs associated with them, eventually narrowing in modern usage to the joyful, traditional songs celebrated during the Christmas season.

Full etymology tree

carol (English), 'A round dance accompanied by singing.'
- inherited carole (Middle English), 'carol (round dance accompanied by singing)'
  - borrowed carole (Old French), 'carol (round dance accompanied by singing)'
    - borrowed choraula (Latin), 'alternative form of choraulēs'
      - derived choraulēs (Latin), 'a flute player, who accompanied the chorus dance'
        compound khorós (khorós) (Ancient Greek)
        inherited *ǵʰoros (Proto-Indo-European)
        derived *ǵʰer- (Proto-Indo-European), 'to take, get'
        compound aulós (aulós) (Ancient Greek)
        inherited *h₂ewlos (Proto-Indo-European)
        suffix -ēs (Ancient Greek)
        inherited *-ēs (Proto-Indo-European), 'Primarily forms last members of adjectival bahuvrīhi compounds'
    - borrowed corōlla (Latin), 'diminutive of corōna (“garland, chaplet, wreath”)'
      - affix corōna (Latin), 'chaplet, laurel, or wreath; presented to athletes, the gods, or the dead'
        borrowed korṓnē (korṓnē) (Ancient Greek)
        inherited *(s)ker- (Proto-Indo-European), 'to cut off, sever'
      - affix -la (Latin), 'inflection of -lus:'
        inherited *-lós (Proto-Indo-European), 'Forms agent nouns from verbal roots.'

Direct ancestors

Updated June 2026

Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris