Caroling

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. The practice of performing joyous songs in public places, typically associated with festive celebrations, often during the holiday season to promote cheer and togetherness
2. Engaging in the communal activity of singing celebratory tunes in community settings, usually surrounding seasonal festivities and meant to uplift spirits
3. Performing holiday melodies in a group by visiting neighbors to share seasonal joy through song

Etymology: The English word has a surprisingly specific ancestor: a Medieval Latin term "Carolingus", which was built from a Frankish name. The name was Carolus, the Latin form of Charles, most famously Charlemagne, the Frankish ruler whose court and dynasty shaped much of medieval western Europe. The "-ing" ending marked a person or group connected to a family or namesake, so the original sense was closer to "one of Charles's people" than to any kind of song. The Frankish "karil" element, meaning "man" or "freeman," is the same root that gave Charles its name in the first place. The song sense came much later and by a roundabout route. Caroling is a Medieval Latin-derived word that English borrowed, and its link to singing grew out of the dances and songs popular in medieval Europe, which were called "carols." Over time the sense of singing in a festive round settled on the word, and it eventually came to describe the Christmas custom of going door to door singing.

Synonyms: singing, chanting, hymn-singing