Definition of "charivari" [cha•ri•va•ri]

• Regional See shivaree. See Regional Note at shivaree. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Regional Note: Shivaree is the most common American regional form of charivari, a French word meaning "a noisy mock serenade for newlyweds" and probably deriving in turn from a Late Latin word meaning "headache.""
• "The charivari is a custom that the Canadians got from the"
• "But I can tell you that a charivari is not always a joke."