Where does “carol” come from?

Carol comes from Old French carole, a word of uncertain origin and meaning.

carol (English): A round dance accompanied by singing; A ballad or...

Definitions

  1. A round dance accompanied by singing; A ballad or...

Ancestry of “carol”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Frenchcarolecarol
2LatinchoraulaAlternative form of choraulēs
3Latinchoraulesa flute player, who accompanied the chorus dance
4Ancient Greekχοραύληςone who accompanies a chorus on the flute
5Ancient Greek-ήςadjective suffix
6Proto-Indo-European-ēsPrimarily forms adjectival bahuvrīhi compounds
7Proto-Indo-European-ess
8Proto-Indo-European-osCreates action nouns or result nouns from verbs;...
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -os