Forms: 4–6 karol(e, karolle, carole, 4–7 caroll(e, 4–9 carrol(l, 5 (careld), caroul, 5–6 caral(le, carowl, 6 carralle, caril, caryl, carrell, karrel, 7 karil, (carrold), 4– carol. [a. OF. carole, also kar-, char-, quar-, quer-, kerole, -olle, in all the senses in which it occurs in Eng. (exc. 3); still in French dialects. (Marne carole dance, fête, joy; Swiss Rom. coraula, coraulo, round dance, dance-song, coraul ball, round dance (Godef.), Pr. and It. carola; Old Pr. also corola. The ulterior etymology of OF. carole and its accompanying vb. caroler, is uncertain; nor is it clear whether the vb. or the sb. takes priority etymologically. There are many indications that the first syllable had originally co- (see Diez, 1878, p. 539, and cf. the Swiss and Breton forms); hence Romanic etymologists generally agree with Diez, in seeking the etymology in the Gr.-L. chorus, and its derivatives chorēa, choraules, etc.: cf. esp. ‘corolar vel coreiar, coreas ducere’ quoted by Diez from Faidit Gram. Prov., of 13th c. Wackernagel would take the vb. (coraulare ‘conculcare’ to tread, dance, Ugutio) as a derivative of the sb. coraula, choraula, choraules, the fluteplayer who accompanied the chorus dance, and the sb. as a derivative of the vb. Another conjecture, assuming ‘ring’ to be the original sense of the sb., has proposed as its source L. corolla ‘little crown, coronet, garland.’ In any case, a Celtic origin is out of the question: Welsh carol (Christmas) carol, and vb. caroli to sing carols, are from English (Rhȳs), and Breton koroll dance, korolli to dance, koroller dancer, are from French. The arrangement of the senses here followed is tentative.]
I. A ring-dance, and derived senses.
† 1. A ring-dance with accompaniment of song; ? a ring of men or women holding hands and moving round in dancing step. arch.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 7601. O þair karol suilk was þe sang.
c. 1300. K. Alis., 1845. Faire is carole of maide gent, Bothe in halle and eke in tent.
1303. R. Brunne, Handl. Synne, 3460. Wymmen … þat borwe cloþes yn carol to go.
c. 1330. Arth. & Merl., 1722. Miri time it is in may … Damisels carols ledeth.
1387. Trevisa, Higden (Rolls), VII. 123. He saw a mayden … daunsynge in a carrole among oþer maydouns.
1394. Gower, Conf., III. 365. With harpe and lute and with citole, The love daunce and the carole … A softe pas they daunce and trede.
c. 1420. Chron. Vilod., 1022. And daunceden with a caralle be chirche abouȝt.
1483. Cath. Angl., 54. A Caralle, corea, chorus, pecten.
1612. Drayton, Poly-olb., xi. 174 In carrolds as they course.
1616. Bullokar, Carol, a song, sometimes a dance.
1865. Tylor, Early Hist. Man., vi. 115. The circles of upright stones … have suggested the idea of a ring-dance, and the story has shaped itself … that such a ring was a party of girls who were turned into stone for dancing carols on a Sunday.
1866. Engel, Nat. Mus., viii. 273. We learn that the term Carole was applied by the Trouvères to a dance in which the performers moved slowly round in a circle, singing at the same time.
1867. Longf., Dante’s Parad., XXIV. 16. Those carols dancing in different measure.
† b. Diversion or merry-making of which such dances formed a leading feature. Obs. [So in mod.F. dial. = ‘fête, joie.’]
a. 1300. Cursor M., 28146. Caroles, iolites, and plaies, ic haue be-haldyn and ledde in ways.
1340. Ayenb., 71. Oure blisse is ywent into wop, oure karoles into zorȝe.
c. 1340. Gaw. & Gr. Knt., 43. Iusted ful Iolile þise gentyle kniȝtes, Syþen kayred to þe court, caroles to make.
1483. Caxton, G. de la Tour, Cij. To be att feestes, Joustes, and carolles.
† c. A company or band of singers, a choir. (? Or simply ‘assembly, company’ as in Godefroy ‘assemblée, cercle, réunion.’) Obs.
1483. Caxton, Gold. Leg., 253/1. Thassembles of martirs, the Couentes of Confessours, the Carolles of Virgyns.
2. A song; originally, that to which they danced. Now usually, a song of a joyous strain; often transf. to the joyous warbling of birds.
1303. R. Brunne, Handl. Synne, 9043. Þys, ys þe karolle þat þey sunge.
1393. Gower, Conf., I. 133. And eke he can carolles make, Roundel, balade and virelay.
c. 1440. Promp. Parv., 92. Caral, songe [P. caroll],palinodium [K. Psalmodium]…. Caroolyn, or synge carowlys.
1595. Spenser, Epithal., 259. The whiles the maydens doe theyr carroll sing.
1600. Shaks., A. Y. L., V. iii. 27. This Carroll they began that houre, With a hey and a ho, & a hey nonino.
c. 1750. Shenstone, Elegy, ix. To sing soft carrols to your lovely dames.
1800. Wordsw., Hart-leap Well, II. xv. He heard the birds their morning carols sing.
a. 1824. Campbell, Dead Eagle, 99. The fife-like carol of the lark.
3. a. A song or hymn of religious joy.
a. 1547. Surrey, Æneid, II. 300. Children, and maides, that holly carolles sang.
1625. Bacon, Ess., Adversity (Arb.), 505. Yet, euen in the old Testament, if you Listen to Dauids Harpe, you shall heare as many Herselike Ayres, as Carols.
1830. Tennyson, Dream Fair Wom., 245. ‘Glory to God’ she sang, and past afar … Losing her carol I stood pensively.
b. esp. A song or hymn of joy sung at Christmas in celebration of the Nativity. Rarely applied to hymns on certain other festal occasions.
1502. Priv. Purse Exp. Eliz. of York (1830), 83. Item to Cornishe for setting of a carralle upon Cristmas day.
1521. W. de Worde (title), Christmasse Carolles.
1530. Palsgr., 203/1. Carole a song, chancon de noel.
1573. Tusser, Husb. (1878), 70. A Christmas Caroll of the birth of Christ vpon the tune of King Salomon.
1590. Shaks., Mids. N., II. i. 102. No night is now with hymne or caroll blest.
1641. J. Jackson, True Evang. T., III. 175. The Dity of that hymne, or Caroll, [was] Peace on earth.
1667. Milton, P. L., XII. 367.
| They gladly thither haste, and by a Quire | |
| Of squadrond Angels hear his Carol sung. |
1774. T. Warton, Hist. Eng. Poetry, xxviii. (1840), II. 397. These coronation carols were customary.
1806–7. J. Beresford, Miseries Hum. Life (1826), ii. 29. Screaming and bellowing Christmas carols under your window.
1845. Sarah Austin, trans. Ranke’s Hist. Ref., I. 371. Singing hymns before the doors of houses, and new year’s carols in the villages.
II. A ring, and related senses. (perh. ought to be I.)
† 4. A ring or circle, e.g., of standing stones.
c. 1330. R. Brunne, Chron. Wace, in Hearne Pref. R. B. 194. Þis Bretons renged about þe feld, Þe karole of the stones beheld, Many tyme ȝede þam about. Ibid., 195. Whan he had gon alle aboute Within þe karole & withoute.
c. 1470. Harding, Chron., lxx. x. Within [the] Giauntes Carole, that so ther hight, The [Stone hengles] that nowe so named been.
[All these instances refer to Stonehenge, also called the Giants’ Dance; cf. quot. 1865 in sense 1; but Du Cange has instances of a very different kind, e.g., ‘Unum annulum cum saphyro magno, et karola in circuitu 7 lapidum et 8 perlarum.’]
¶ A precinct, a space enclosed by rails, etc. See Du Cange.
† 5. A small enclosure or ‘study’ in a cloister.
[See numerous OF. examples in Godefroy, and quot. from Premonstrat. Statutes in Du Cange ‘in claustro carolæ vel hujusmodi scriptoria.’]
1593. Descr. Monuments, &c. Ch. Durham, § 41 (1842), 70. In every wyndowe three Pewes or Carrells, where every one of the old monks had his carrell, severall by himselfe, that when they had dyned they dyd resorte to that place of Cloister, and there studyed upon there books, every one in his carrell all the after nonne.
1721. Bailey, Carrel, a Closet or Pen in a Monastery.
1810. Acc. Gloucester Cath., The ten divisions for the windows in the south cloister are divided into twenty carrols; two carrols in each window;—their width four feet.
b. Carol-window: ? a bay-window.
c. 1600. E. B. Jupp, Carpenters’ Co., 223. In 1572 the Carpenters Company of the City of London ordered a caroll-window to be made in the place wher the window now standethe in the gallerie.
† 6. A chain. [So F. quarole, two examples in Godef.: see also Du Cange.]
c. 1425. Seven Sag. (P.), 2885. Scho putte ilke resche in other, And made a karole in a stounde, The ton hende touched to grounde, And the othir scho helde on heygh.
7. Comb. and attrib., as carol-song, carol-wise; carol-chanting ppl. adj.
c. 1385. Chaucer, L. G. W., 201 (Camb. MS.). And songyn as it were in carolewyse.
1583. T. Watson, Poems (Arb.), 137. Let those lament who lust, Ile sing a carroll song for obsequy.
1601. Chester, Love’s Mart. (1878), 5. And carroll-chanting birds are sudden mute.
