carnevale (Italian)

Where does "carnevale" come from?

The Italian noun 'carnevale' descends from the Latin phrase 'carnem levāre', meaning 'to take away/remove meat'[1]. This expression serves as a calque of the Ancient Greek form 'ἀπόκρεως'[1]. Alternative theories suggest the word may instead stem from the Latin terms 'carneālis', meaning 'meaty', or 'carnuālis', meaning 'feast'[1].

Open questions

• Alternative theories propose that the word may derive from Latin carneālis or carnuālis rather than carnem levāre. [1]

Full etymology tree

• carnevale (Italian), 'carnival; festival in the week before Lent'
  • derived carnem levāre (Latin)
    • calque ἀπόκρεως (apókreōs) (Ancient Greek)

Cognates and doublets

• cârneleagă (Romanian)
• carnestolendas (Spanish)

Descendants and derived words

• carnevalata (Italian)
• carnevalesco (Italian)

Sources

1. carnevale (Italian) - Wiktionary
2. levare (Latin) - Wiktionary

Updated August 2026

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