Definition of "carol" []

• A song of praise or joy, especially for Christmas. (noun)
• An old round dance often accompanied by singing. (noun)
• To sing in a loud, joyous manner. (verb-intransitive)
• To go from house to house singing Christmas songs. (verb-intransitive)
• To celebrate in or as if in song: caroling the victory. (verb-transitive)

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.

• "The word carol comes from the Latin cantare (to sing) and rola (joy)."
• "The word carol obviously means a song, and a carol is a type of ecclesiastical folk song."
• "The word "carol" comes from the Greek "choros," which is a circular dance accompanied by singing, usually to celebrate fertility."