Dictionary

carnival en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• [ˈkɑːnɪvl̩] (Received-Pronunciation)
• [ˈkɑɹnɪvl̩] (General-American)
• [ˈkaːnɪvl̩] (Australia)
• /ˈkɑːnɪvəl/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• (US) audio
• (Southern-England) audio
• /ˈkɑɹnɪvəl/ (General-American)
• /ˈkaːnɪvəl/ (Australia)
• (General-American)

Etymology

From Middle French carnaval, from Italian carnevale, possibly from the Latin phrase carnem levāmen (“meat dismissal”). Other scholars suggest Latin carnuālia (“meat-based country feast”) or carrus nāvālis (“boat wagon; float”) instead. Doublet of carnaval.

Meanings

1. Any of a number of festivals held just before the beginning of Lent.
   • Carnival of Brazil
   • Venice Carnival
2. A festive occasion marked by parades and sometimes special foods and other entertainment.
   • Like most human activities, ballooning has sponsored heroes and hucksters and a good deal in between. For every dedicated scientist patiently recording atmospheric pressure and wind speed while shivering at high altitudes, there is a carnival barker with a bevy of pretty girls willing to dangle from a basket or parachute down to earth. 2013 June 7, David Simpson, “Fantasy of navigation”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 188, number 26, page 36:
3. (US) A traveling amusement park, called a funfair in British English.
   • When the carnival came to town, every one wanted some cotton candy.
   • We all got to ride the merry-go-round when they brought their carnival to town.
4. A context in which transgression or inversion of the social order is given temporary license. Derived from the work of Mikhail Bakhtin.
   • The social environment contains the ambiguous traces of carnival: it resists the ideology of capitalism and, at the same time, reproduces the capitalist social order. 2010, Gulnara Karimova, “Jackass, South Park, and 'Everyday' Culture”, in Studies in Popular Culture, volume 33, page 37:
5. (figuratively) A gaudily chaotic situation.
   • a carnival of idiocy

Forms

Coordinates

mardi gras

Deriveds

noncarnival · winter carnival · carnivalic · blog carnival · carny · carnivalistic · carnivallike · carnivalize · carnival glass · precarnival · surf carnival · carnivalesque

Descendants

カーニバル · 카니발 · karnival

Translations (105)

it lunaparco (traveling amusement park) · lv karnevāls (festive occasion marked by parades) · acw كرنفال (festive occasion marked by parades) · ko 카니발 (festive occasion marked by parades) · mk карнева́л (festive occasion marked by parades) · ja 謝肉祭 (festive occasion marked by parades) · nl kermis (traveling amusement park) · fr carnaval (festive occasion marked by parades) · fi karnevaali (festival held just before the beginning of Lent) · et karneval (festive occasion marked by parades) · he קָרְנְבָל (festive occasion marked by parades) · bg карнава́л (festive occasion marked by parades) · nn karneval (festive occasion marked by parades) · te జాతర (festive occasion marked by parades) · mhn Vosnòcht (festival held just before the beginning of Lent) · gl entruido (festive occasion marked by parades) · da karneval (festive occasion marked by parades) · ast antroxu (festive occasion marked by parades) · eu inauteria (festive occasion marked by parades) · arz مرفع (festive occasion marked by parades) · cmn 嘉年華 /嘉年华 (festive occasion marked by parades) · hi कार्निवल (festive occasion marked by parades) · eo amuzejo (traveling amusement park) · ja カーニバル (festive occasion marked by parades) · sh karnèvāl (festive occasion marked by parades) · ka კარნავალი (festive occasion marked by parades) · sh карнѐва̄л (festive occasion marked by parades) · ca carnaval (festive occasion marked by parades) · de Karneval (festive occasion marked by parades) · tg карнавал (festive occasion marked by parades) · cs karneval (festive occasion marked by parades) · fi tivoli (traveling amusement park) · ky карнавал (festive occasion marked by parades) · de Fastnacht (festive occasion marked by parades) · es antruido (festival held just before the beginning of Lent) · fi juhlat (festive occasion marked by parades) · es carnaval (festive occasion marked by parades) · hu farsang (festive occasion marked by parades) · kk карнавал (festive occasion marked by parades) · mi hui taurima (festive occasion marked by parades) · gl carnaval (festival held just before the beginning of Lent) · az karnaval (festive occasion marked by parades) · sq karnaval (festive occasion marked by parades) · dsb zapust (festival held just before the beginning of Lent) · cmn 狂歡節 /狂欢节 (festive occasion marked by parades) · el καρναβάλι (festive occasion marked by parades) · gl entroido (festive occasion marked by parades) · uz karnaval (festive occasion marked by parades) · nb karneval (festive occasion marked by parades) · ka ყეენობა (festive occasion marked by parades) · bg пъту́ващ цирк (traveling amusement park) · sk karneval (festive occasion marked by parades) · fr fête foraine (traveling amusement park) · nl carnaval (festive occasion marked by parades) · gl entroido (festival held just before the beginning of Lent) · tl karnabal (festive occasion marked by parades) · vi các-na-van (festive occasion marked by parades) · ca carnestoltes (festive occasion marked by parades) · tr karnaval (festive occasion marked by parades) · tk karnaval (festive occasion marked by parades) · gl antroido (festive occasion marked by parades) · es antruejo (festival held just before the beginning of Lent) · ro carnaval (festive occasion marked by parades) · mi taiopenga (festive occasion marked by parades) · ru карнава́л (festive occasion marked by parades) · mt karnival (festive occasion marked by parades) · pt carnaval (festive occasion marked by parades) · sh покладе (festive occasion marked by parades) · it luna park (traveling amusement park) · vi hội trá hình (festive occasion marked by parades) · pt Entrudo (festival held just before the beginning of Lent) · sh poklade (festive occasion marked by parades) · pl karnawał (festive occasion marked by parades) · fa کارناوال (festive occasion marked by parades) · es carnestolendas (festival held just before the beginning of Lent) · bn কার্নিভাল (festive occasion marked by parades) · es carnestolendas (festive occasion marked by parades) · fa کارنوال (festive occasion marked by parades) · it carnevale (festive occasion marked by parades) · be карнава́л (festive occasion marked by parades) · ko 사육제 (festive occasion marked by parades) · fr carnaval (festival held just before the beginning of Lent) · fi karnevaali (festive occasion marked by parades) · vi hội hóa trang (festive occasion marked by parades) · ast antroxu (festival held just before the beginning of Lent) · lt karnavalas (festive occasion marked by parades) · fi laskiainen (festival held just before the beginning of Lent) · es carnaval (festival held just before the beginning of Lent) · sv karneval (festive occasion marked by parades) · ar كَرْنَفَال (festive occasion marked by parades) · es entruejo (festival held just before the beginning of Lent) · it parco divertimenti (traveling amusement park) · th เทศกาล (festive occasion marked by parades) · is karnival (festive occasion marked by parades) · hu karnevál (festive occasion marked by parades) · de Fastnacht (festival held just before the beginning of Lent) · is kjötkveðjuhátíð (festive occasion marked by parades) · es yunce (festive occasion marked by parades) · uk карнава́л (festive occasion marked by parades) · chr ᎠᎾᏛᏁᎵᏍᎬ (festive occasion marked by parades) · eo karnavalo (festive occasion marked by parades) · de Fasching (festive occasion marked by parades) · es yunsa (festive occasion marked by parades) · es umisha (festive occasion marked by parades) · pt Carnaval (festival held just before the beginning of Lent)

carnival en · VERB

Pronunciation

• [ˈkɑːnɪvl̩] (Received-Pronunciation)
• [ˈkɑɹnɪvl̩] (General-American)
• [ˈkaːnɪvl̩] (Australia)
• /ˈkɑːnɪvəl/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• (US) audio
• (Southern-England) audio
• /ˈkɑɹnɪvəl/ (General-American)
• /ˈkaːnɪvəl/ (Australia)
• (General-American)

Etymology

From Middle French carnaval, from Italian carnevale, possibly from the Latin phrase carnem levāmen (“meat dismissal”). Other scholars suggest Latin carnuālia (“meat-based country feast”) or carrus nāvālis (“boat wagon; float”) instead. Doublet of carnaval.

Meanings

1. (informal, rare) To participate in a carnival.
2. (literary) To move about playfully or wildly.
   • Sitting in the Chevy, Saturday night on Main Street carnivaling around her, she told herself that she understood, that Ross had made a mistake, had pre-arranged this celebration for tonight and thought that his date with her was tomorrow. 1983, Alan Stratton, The Hunters, London; Sydney, N.S.W.: Futura, →ISBN, page 161:
   • A sudden bright white flash exploded before me. A kaleidoscope of silver lines drawn in rapid succession carnivalled in a blizzard of raging energy. 2007, Jonny Glynn, The Seven Days of Peter Crumb, New York, N.Y.; […]: Harper Perennial, →ISBN, page 210:
   • The spot is a marvel of beauty and taste; and here, where dust and sun carnivaled for so many years, thousands of every class congregate to listen each evening to music discoursed for the amusement of oi polloi. 1870 July, “Life in the Mexican Capital”, in The Old Guard, volume VIII, number VII, [New York, N.Y.]: [C. Chauncey Burr & Co.], →ISSN, →OCLC, page 507:

Forms