noel

See also: Noel, NOEL, Nóel, noël, Noël, and Nô-el

English

Alternative forms

• noël
• nowell
• nowel

Etymology

From Middle English nowel, from Anglo-Norman noel, Middle French noel, a variant of nael, from Latin adjective nātālis (“natal, having to do with birth”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /nəʊˈɛl/

Noun

noel (plural noels)

1. A kind of hymn, or canticle, of mediaeval origin, sung in honor of the birth of Christ; a Christmas carol.

Interjection

noel (plural noels)

1. (archaic) A wish or expression of commemoration of Christmas.
   • 1911, Hilaire Belloc, The Four Men: A Farrago‎^[1], page 243:

     And may all my enemies go to hell! / Noël! Noël! Noël! Noël!

Anagrams

• lone, Leno, leno, neol., Léon, one L, Nole, Leon, nole, Elno, elon, enol, Elon, León

Old French

Etymology 1

Either inherited from Early Medieval Latin nōdellus (“buckle”), diminutive of nōdus (“knot”), or Late Latin nucālis (“nut-like”), derivative of nux (“nut”).

Alternative forms

• noial, noiau, noiel, noyel, nuel

Noun

noel oblique singular, m (oblique plural noeaus or noeax or noiaus or noiax or noels, nominative singular noeaus or noeax or noiaus or noiax or noels, nominative plural noel)

1. knot (interlacing of threads)
2. buckle, loop, clasp
3. stub, nodule, lump
4. stone, pit (of fruit)
5. trifle (something of little value)

Descendants

• Middle French: noyau, noeau, noiel
  • French: noyau
• Poitevin-Saintongeais: nàe, niàu
• Walloon: nawea
• → Middle English: nowel, *newel
  • English: newel
• → Middle English: *noyel (from the variant noiel)
  • English: noil

References

• Walther von Wartburg (1928–2002), “*nōdĕllus”, in Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, volume 7: N–Pas, page 717
• “NOIEL m.”, in DEAF: Dictionnaire Étymologique de l'Ancien Français, Heidelberg: Heidelberger Akademie der Wissenschaften, 1968-.

Etymology 2

Noun

noel oblique singular, m (oblique plural noeaus or noeax or noiaus or noiax or noels, nominative singular noeaus or noeax or noiaus or noiax or noels, nominative plural noel)

1. alternative form of Noel

Etymology 3

Noun

noel oblique singular, m (oblique plural noeaus or noeax or noiaus or noiax or noels, nominative singular noeaus or noeax or noiaus or noiax or noels, nominative plural noel)

1. alternative form of neel