carnival

[ kahr-nuh-vuhl ]
See synonyms for: carnivalcarnivalesque on Thesaurus.com

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.

  1. the season immediately preceding Lent, often observed with merrymaking; Shrovetide.

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Origin of carnival

1
1540–50; <Italian carnevale,Old Italian carnelevare taking meat away, equivalent to carne flesh (<Latin carnem, accusative of caro) + levare<Latin levāre to lift

Other words for carnival

Other words from carnival

  • car·ni·val·esque, car·ni·val·like, adjective
  • pre·car·ni·val, adjective

Words Nearby carnival

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How to use carnival in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for carnival

carnival

/ (ˈkɑːnɪvəl) /


noun
    • a festive occasion or period marked by merrymaking, processions, etc: esp in some Roman Catholic countries, the period just before Lent

    • (as modifier): a carnival atmosphere

  1. a travelling fair having merry-go-rounds, etc

  1. a show or display arranged as an amusement

  2. Australian a sports meeting

Origin of carnival

1
C16: from Italian carnevale, from Old Italian carnelevare a removing of meat (referring to the Lenten fast)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012