Noel
/noʊˈɛl/noun
A Christmas carol or, more broadly, the Christmas season.
Did you know?Noel entered English through French, where it originally meant “Christmas” and comes from the Latin natalis, the same birth-root behind natal and native.
Etymological Timeline
Latin
Latin
nātālis
“of or pertaining to birth”
Late Latin
Latin
(diēs) nātālis
“birthday; day of birth, especially Christ's birth”
Old French
Old French
noël
“Christmas; a Christmas song or cry of joy”
Middle English
English
noel
“Christmas; a carol sung at Christmas”
Modern English
English
Noel
“A Christmas carol or the Christmas season”