What does carol mean?
A carol is a joyful song of religious celebration, most closely associated in modern English with the Christmas season, when groups of singers perform traditional carols both in churches and out of doors. Classic examples include "Silent Night" and "O Come, All Ye Faithful," and the term also covers the broader tradition of going door to door to sing seasonal songs, an activity known as caroling or carolling. As a verb, "to carol" means to sing in a bright, festive way, and it can be applied figuratively even to birdsong. The word carries warm, communal, and nostalgic connotations, evoking candlelight services, choirs, and winter festivities. Interestingly, the word's origins lie not in music but in dance: it entered English through Old French, referring originally to a circle dance accompanied by singing, before narrowing over the centuries to mean the song itself.
A joyful religious song or hymn, especially one sung at Christmas.
""Silent Night" remains one of the best-loved Christmas carols in the world."
In modern usage the noun almost always implies a Christmas context unless otherwise stated.
To sing carols, or more generally to sing in a loud, cheerful, celebratory manner.
"Larks caroled above the meadow at first light."
The verb sense is literary or poetic in register and less frequent than the noun.
The standard plural simply adds -s; it refers to multiple songs or instances of singing.
"The children learned three new carols for the school concert."
Before it was ever a song, a "carol" was a circle dance — the word comes from the same ancient Greek root for "dance" that gives us "chorus."
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of carol
The word "carol" derives from Old French "carole," which denoted a ring or circle dance accompanied by singing, likely borrowed further back from Medieval Latin "carola." Its ultimate origin is uncertain, though it may connect to the Greek "khoros" (χορός), meaning a danced round or chorus, which also underlies words like "chorus" and "choir." In Middle English it referred to the dance itself or the song accompanying it; by the early modern period the sense had narrowed chiefly to a festive or religious song, and eventually became dominated by the Christmas association familiar today.
Related word forms
How carol is actually used
As a noun, "carol" carries warm, nostalgic, and festive connotations and is strongly tied to the Christmas season in modern usage. The verb sense, meaning to sing joyfully (sometimes of birdsong), is more literary and less common today. British English typically doubles the "l" in derived forms ("caroller," "carolling"), while American English usually does not ("caroler," "caroling").
Easily confused with carol
"Carol" is a festive song or the act of singing one, while "coral" is the hard stony substance secreted by marine polyps or its pinkish-orange color.