carnival


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car·ni·val

 (kär′nə-vəl)
n.
1. often Carnival The period of merrymaking and feasting celebrated just before Lent.
2. A traveling amusement show usually including rides, games, and sideshows.
3. A festival or revel: winter carnival.

[Italian carnevale, from Old Italian carnelevare, Shrovetide : carne, meat (from Latin carō, carn-; see sker- in Indo-European roots) + levare, to remove (from Latin levāre, to raise; see legwh- in Indo-European roots).]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

carnival

(ˈkɑːnɪvəl)
n
1.
a. a festive occasion or period marked by merrymaking, processions, etc: esp in some Roman Catholic countries, the period just before Lent
b. (as modifier): a carnival atmosphere.
2. a travelling fair having merry-go-rounds, etc
3. a show or display arranged as an amusement
4. Austral a sports meeting
[C16: from Italian carnevale, from Old Italian carnelevare a removing of meat (referring to the Lenten fast)]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

car•ni•val

(ˈkɑr nə vəl)

n.
1. a traveling amusement show having sideshows and rides.
2. a festival: a winter carnival of sports and games.
3. the season immediately preceding Lent, often observed with merrymaking.
[1540–50; < Italian carnevale, early Italian carnelevare taking meat away =carne flesh + levare < Latin levāre to lift]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

fair

carnival
1. 'fair'

In British English, a fair is an event held in a park or field at which people pay to ride on various machines for amusement or try to win prizes in games.

...all the fun of the fair, with dodgem cars, stalls, candy floss and children's rides.
2. 'carnival'

In American English, an event like this is called a carnival.

It reminds me of when the carnival came to Hudson Falls, N.Y., when I was a boy.

In British English, a carnival is an outdoor public festival which is held every year in a particular place. During a carnival, music is played and people sometimes dance in the streets.

The Notting Hill Carnival in August is the largest street festival in Europe.
Collins COBUILD English Usage © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 2004, 2011, 2012
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.carnival - a festival marked by merrymaking and processionscarnival - a festival marked by merrymaking and processions
festival, fete - an organized series of acts and performances (usually in one place); "a drama festival"
Fat Tuesday, Mardi Gras - a carnival held in some countries on Shrove Tuesday (the last day before Lent) but especially in New Orleans
2.carnival - a frenetic disorganized (and often comic) disturbance suggestive of a large public entertainment; "it was so funny it was a circus"; "the whole occasion had a carnival atmosphere"
disturbance - the act of disturbing something or someone; setting something in motion
3.carnival - a traveling showcarnival - a traveling show; having sideshows and rides and games of skill etc.
show - the act of publicly exhibiting or entertaining; "a remarkable show of skill"
midway - the place at a fair or carnival where sideshows and similar amusements are located
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

carnival

noun
1. festival, fair, fête, celebration, gala, jubilee, jamboree, Mardi Gras, revelry, merrymaking, fiesta, holiday The town is best known for its carnivals with masked balls and firework processions.
2. funfair circus a carnival with rides and games
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
Translations
كَرْنَفَالكَرنفال: احْتِفال مَسيرات عُمومي
karneval
karneval
karnevaali
karneval
karnevál
kjötkveîjuhátíî, karnival
カーニバル
카니발
karnavalas
karnevāls
karneval
karneval
karneval
งานฉลองของมวลชน
ngày hội

carnival

[ˈkɑːnɪvəl]
A. Ncarnaval m (US) → parque m de atracciones
B. CPD carnival queen Nreina f del carnaval or de la fiesta
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

carnival

[ˈkɑːrnɪvəl] n
(= public celebration) → carnaval m
(US) (= funfair) → fête foraine
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

carnival

nVolksfest nt; (= village carnival etc)Schützenfest nt; (based on religion) → Karneval m
attrFest-, Karnevals-; carnival processionFest-/Karnevalszug m
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

carnival

[ˈkɑːnɪvl] n (public celebration) → carnevale m (Am) (funfair) → luna park m inv
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

carnival

(ˈkaːnivəl) noun
a public entertainment, often involving processions of people in fancy dress etc. a winter carnival.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.

carnival

كَرْنَفَال karneval karneval Karneval καρναβάλι carnaval, feria karnevaali carnaval karneval carnevale カーニバル 카니발 carnaval karneval karnawał carnaval карнавал karneval งานฉลองของมวลชน karnaval ngày hội 狂欢节
Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009
References in classic literature ?
{corso, of a carnival = the Corso, a main street in Rome, at Carnival time}
These descendants of the sect of Zoroaster--the most thrifty, civilised, intelligent, and austere of the East Indians, among whom are counted the richest native merchants of Bombay--were celebrating a sort of religious carnival, with processions and shows, in the midst of which Indian dancing-girls, clothed in rose-coloured gauze, looped up with gold and silver, danced airily, but with perfect modesty, to the sound of viols and the clanging of tambourines.
But this was not so easy a matter, for the streets were thronged with people, and Rome was already a prey to that low and feverish murmur which precedes all great events; and at Rome there are four great events in every year, -- the Carnival, Holy Week, Corpus Christi, and the Feast of St.
Here the buffaloes were in immense herds; and here they remained for three days, slaying and cooking, and feasting, and indemnifying themselves by an enormous carnival, for a long and hungry Lent.
As a matter of fact, on that evening of Carnival, those two, Mills and Blunt, had been actually looking everywhere for our man.
It was about dusk, one evening during the supreme madness of the carnival season, that I encountered my friend.
Cahill into a carnival of fools, and her own marriage--too miserable to think of that, she tore up the letter, and then wrote another:
Aunt Jane helped clear the table and put away the food, while Miranda entertained in the parlor; but Rebecca and the infant Burches washed the dishes and held high carnival in the kitchen, doing only trifling damage--breaking a cup and plate that had been cracked before, emptying a silver spoon with some dishwater out of the back door (an act never permitted at the brick house), and putting coffee grounds in the sink.
"Very little indeed," answered the other: "those who travel in order to acquaint themselves with the different manners of men might spare themselves much pains by going to a carnival at Venice; for there they will see at once all which they can discover in the several courts of Europe.
If they will only hold their hands until the season is over, he promises them a royal carnival, when all grudges can he settled and the survivors may toss the non-survivors overboard and arrange a story as to how the missing men were lost at sea.
At Carnival time, in the sixth year of Sergius's life at the hermitage, a merry company of rich people, men and women from a neighbouring town, made up a troyka-party, after a meal of carnival-pancakes and wine.
Many nations are represented, many languages spoken, many costumes worn, and on a sunny day the spectacle is as gay and brilliant as a carnival. Haughty English, lively French, sober Germans, handsome Spaniards, ugly Russians, meek Jews, free-and-easy Americans, all drive, sit, or saunter here, chatting over the news, and criticzing the latest celebrity who has arrived--Ristori or Dickens, Victor Emmanuel or the Queen of the Sandwich Islands.

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