charivari

[ shiv-uh-ree, shiv-uh-ree, shuh-riv-uh-reeor, especially British, shahr-uh-vahr-ee ]

noun

plural: charivarischarivaried charivariing

1. a variant of shivaree.

charivari

/ ˌʃɑːrɪˈvɑːrɪ /

noun

1. a discordant mock serenade to newlyweds, made with pans, kettles, etc
2. a confused noise; din

Word History and Origins

Origin of charivari¹

< French, Middle French, of obscure origin; said to be < Late Latin carībaria headache < Greek karēbaría, equivalent to karē-, combining form of kárā, kárē head + -baria ( bar ( ys ) heavy + -ia -ia ), on the hypothesis that such a noisy procession would cause a headache

Word History and Origins

Origin of charivari¹

C17: from French, from Late Latin caribaria headache, from Greek karēbaria, from karē head + barus heavy

Example Sentences

Pan beating dates back to the Middle Ages in a custom, called “charivari,” that was intended to shame ill-matched couples, according to Emmanuel Fureix, a historian at University Paris-Est Créteil.

From New York Times

Fureix said that beating saucepans first originated in the Middle Ages, in the popular tradition of the charivari, where a concert of saucepans, rattles, cries and whistles was customary to express disapproval of an ill-assorted marriage.

From Washington Times

Fureix said that beating saucepans first originated in the Middle Ages, in the popular tradition of the charivari, where a concert of saucepans, rattles, cries and whistles was customary to express disapproval of an ill-assorted marriage.

From Seattle Times

I learned about charivari, a folk custom in France in which people mock-serenaded weddings they disapproved of, adding to the proceedings “the stench of a donkey carcass being burned.”

From Slate

He, in turn, had saved his earnings as a stock boy at the now-defunct Upper West Side clothing store Charivari to buy the men’s sweater version of the dress, which he wore with white trousers.

From New York Times