carnival (English)
Where does "carnival" come from?
The word 'carnival' likely traces back to the Latin phrase 'carnem levāre,' meaning 'to remove meat,' reflecting the feast held before the restrictions of Lent. This term traveled through Italian as 'carnevale' and Middle French as 'carnaval' before entering English to describe both the festival itself and the act of moving about with playful, wild energy. Its deeper roots may connect to the Proto-Indo-European concept of cutting or severing, perhaps marking the end of a period of indulgences.
Full etymology tree
- carnival (English), 'To participate in a carnival.'
- learned borrowing carnaval (Middle French)
- learned borrowing carnevale (Italian), 'carnival; festival in the week before Lent'
- inherited carnem levāre (Latin)
- inherited carnem levāmen (Latin)
- inherited carnuālia (Latin)
- inherited carneālis (Latin)
- inherited carnuālis (Latin)
- inherited carrus nāvālis (Latin)
- learned borrowing carnevale (Italian), 'carnival; festival in the week before Lent'
- learned borrowing carnaval (Middle French)
Direct ancestors
Updated June 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris