Carolus
/kaˈroː.lus/noun
The Medieval Latin form of the Germanic personal name Charles or Karl.
Did you know?Charlemagne was styled “Carolus Magnus” in Latin, literally “Charles the Great,” and his name helped create the dynastic label Carolingian.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
Proto-Germanic
*karlaz
“A man, commonly understood in later usage as a free man or non-servile person”
Old English
Old English
ceorl
“A freeman of the lowest social rank, contrasted with an enslaved person or noble”
8th Century
Medieval Latin
Carolus
“Latinized form of the Germanic name Karl or Charles”
8th–9th Century
Medieval Latin
Carolus Magnus
“Charles the Great, the Latin title of Charlemagne”
11th Century
Old French
Charles
“The French continuation of Carolus, especially associated with royal and aristocratic names”
Modern English
English
Carolus
“A historical Latin form of Charles, encountered mainly in royal, ecclesiastical, scholarly, and numismatic contexts”