Etymograph

English

carnaval

Carnaval comes from Spanish carnaval ‘carnival’, and goes back to Latin carnem levāre ‘to take away/remove meat’.

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcarnem levāre1‘to take away/remove meat’
  2. Italianc. 1300–presentcarnevale2‘carnival’
  3. Spanishc. 1500–presentcarnaval3‘carnival’
  4. Englishtodaycarnaval3

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Italian carnevale
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Spanish carnaval
  3. 3 Wiktionary, English carnaval

Lineage

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcarnem levāreWiktionary, Italian carnevale‘to take away/remove meat’
  2. Italianc. 1300–presentcarnevaleWiktionary, Spanish carnaval‘carnival’
  3. Spanishc. 1500–presentcarnavalWiktionary, English carnaval‘carnival’
  4. EnglishtodaycarnavalWiktionary, English carnaval

Linked words

through Italian carnevale ‘carnival’

carnival

Today it means

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

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “carnaval”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Italian carnevale, Spanish carnaval. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Latin carnem levāre / carnaval

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