Etymology: < Old French carole, also kar-, char-, quar-, quer-, kerole, -olle, in all the senses in which it occurs in English (except 3); still in French dialects. (Marne carole dance, fête, joy; Swiss Romance coraula, coraulo, round dance, dance-song, coraul ball, round dance (Godefroy), Provençal and Italian carola; Old Provençal also corola. The ulterior etymology of Old French carole and its accompanying verb caroler, is uncertain; nor is it clear whether the verb or the noun takes priority etymologically. There are many indications that the first syllable had originally co- (see Diez, 1878, p. 539, and compare the Swiss and Breton forms); hence Romanic etymologists generally agree with Diez, in seeking the etymology in the Greek-Latin chorus, and its derivatives chorēa, choraules, etc.: compare especially ‘corolar vel coreiar, coreas ducere’ quoted by Diez from Faidit Gram. Prov., of 13th cent. Wackernagel would take the verb (coraulare ‘conculcare’ to tread, dance, Ugutio) as a derivative of the noun coraula, choraula, choraules, the fluteplayer who accompanied the chorus dance, and the noun as a derivative of the verb. Another conjecture, assuming ‘ring’ to be the original sense of the noun, has proposed as its source Latin corolla ‘little crown, coronet, garland’. In any case, a Celtic origin is out of the question: Welsh carol (Christmas) carol, and verb caroli to sing carols, are from English (Rhŷs), and Breton koroll dance, korolli to dance, koroller dancer, are from French. The arrangement of the senses here followed is tentative.

Etymology: < Old French caroler, < carole ; see carol n. The derivative forms in -ed, -ing, -er, are now most commonly spelt (in England) with ll (carolled, etc.) though for no good reason: compare French caroler, carolant, caroleur.