carnaval

English

Etymology 1

From Spanish carnaval, Portuguese carnaval. Doublet of carnival.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kɑɹnəˈvɑl/

Noun

carnaval (countable and uncountable, plural carnavals)

1. One of various large carnivals held before the beginning of Lent, especially in Latin America.

Etymology 2

Noun

carnaval (plural carnavals)

1. Obsolete spelling of carnival.

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian carnevale.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central) [kər.nəˈβal]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic) [kər.nəˈval]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [kaɾ.naˈval]

Noun

carnaval m (plural carnavals)

1. carnival (festival held just before Lent)

   Synonym: (in the Catalan Countries) carnestoltes

Derived terms

• carnavalada
• carnavalesc

Further reading

• “carnaval”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from French carnaval, either from Italian carnivale, from Medieval Latin carnelevale, from carnem (“flesh”) + levāre (“lighten, raise”). The alternative carnem vale (“flesh farewell”) is a folk etymology.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkɑrnaːvɑl/, /kɑrnaːˈvɑl/, /-nə-/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: car‧na‧val

Noun

carnaval n (plural carnavals, diminutive carnavalletje n)

1. the carnival, last festive occasion(s) before Lent, notably on Shrove Tuesday
2. (within the southern Netherlands and Belgium, specifically) a festival celebrated with costuming, parades and other festivities, with a general emphasis on parody, jest and local tradition and dialect

Synonyms

• (in some areas) vastenavond

Derived terms

• carnavalesk
• carnavalskostuum
• carnavalslied
• carnavalsmasker
• carnavalsnaam
• carnavalsoptocht
• carnavalsstoet

Related terms

• alaaf
• hossen

Descendants

• → Indonesian: karnaval

French

Etymology

Either from Italian carnevale, from Medieval Latin carnelevale, from caro (“flesh”) + levo (“to lighten, to raise”), or directly from Medieval Latin.

The alternative carne vale (“to flesh/meat, farewell”) is believed to be a folk etymology.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kaʁ.na.val/

• Audio (Paris):

  (file)

• Audio (France (Vosges)):

  (file)

• Audio (France (Vosges)):

  (file)

• Audio (France (Lyon)):

  (file)

• Homophone: carnavals

Noun

carnaval m (plural carnavals)

1. the carnival, last festive occasion before Lent, notably on Shrove Tuesday, marked by a masked parade and/or ball

Derived terms

• carnavalesque
• carnavaleux
• carnavalier
• carnavaliser

Descendants

• → Russian: карнава́л (karnavál)
  • → Kazakh: карнавал (karnaval)
• → Turkish: karnaval

Further reading

• “carnaval”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012

Portuguese

Etymology

See Carnaval.

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /kaʁ.naˈvaw/ [kaɦ.naˈvaʊ̯]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /kaʁ.naˈvaw/ [kaɦ.naˈvaʊ̯]
  • (São Paulo) IPA^(key): /kaɾ.naˈvaw/ [kaɾ.naˈvaʊ̯]
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /kaʁ.naˈvaw/ [kaʁ.naˈvaʊ̯]
  • (Caipira) IPA^(key): /kaɻ.naˈvaw/ [kaɻ.naˈvaʊ̯]

 

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /kɐɾ.nɐˈval/ [kɐɾ.nɐˈvaɫ]

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /kɐɾ.nɐˈval/ [kɐɾ.nɐˈvaɫ]
  • (Northern Portugal) IPA^(key): /kɐɾ.nɐˈbal/ [kɐɾ.nɐˈβaɫ]
  • (Southern Portugal) IPA^(key): /kɐɾ.nɐˈva.li/

• Rhymes: (Brazil) -aw, (Portugal) -al
• Hyphenation: car‧na‧val
• Homophone: Carnaval

Noun

carnaval m (plural carnavais)

1. carnival celebrations

   O carnaval de Salvador é o melhor do Brasil. ― Salvador’s carnival celebration is the best in Brazil.

2. (figurative) merriment, revelry

   Synonyms: farra, folia

3. pre-reform spelling (used until 1990 in Brazil and 1945 in Portugal) of Carnaval; may still occur as a sporadic misspelling

Usage notes

The capitalized spelling Carnaval is used when referring to the festive period. See more in the usage notes for that entry.

Derived terms

• carnavalizar
• pular carnaval

Related terms

• carnavalesco

Further reading

• “carnaval”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026
• “carnaval”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French carnaval.

Noun

carnaval n (plural carnavaluri)

1. carnival

Declension

	singular			plural
	indefinite	definite		indefinite	definite
nominative-accusative	carnaval	carnavalul		carnavaluri	carnavalurile
genitive-dative	carnaval	carnavalului		carnavaluri	carnavalurilor
vocative	carnavalule			carnavalurilor

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian carnevale.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kaɾnaˈbal/ [kaɾ.naˈβ̞al]
• Rhymes: -al
• Syllabification: car‧na‧val

Noun

carnaval m (plural carnavales)

1. carnival (festival held just before Lent)

Derived terms

• carnavalear
• carnavalesco
• carnavalito
• Martes de Carnaval

Further reading

• “carnaval”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025