Carousel

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˌkærəˈsɛl/

Definitions

1. a rotating platform for amusement that typically displays seated figures or animals while also describing a series of events that occur in a repetitive sequence
2. A circular ride at fairs featuring seats or animals that revolve ; a platform that turns to showcase items in a store or exhibition ; a series of actions that repeat in a predictable pattern
3. An entertainment device with rotating seats often designed as animals or vehicles ; a spinning base used to exhibit goods or objects ; a repeating set of events occurring in succession

Etymology: The fairground ride started out as a military show. The earliest carousels were not spinning horses at all but tournament-style displays, and the name came into French and English from Italian "carosello", a word that in turn passed through southern Italian dialects, probably Sicilian "caruseḍḍu" or Neapolitan "carusiello". Those dialect forms are themselves uncertain in origin, which is part of why the word's ancestry is hard to pin down. A tempting explanation links the word to Latin "carrus", meaning "cart", since carts and wheeled vehicles seem to fit a turning, circular motion. Etymologists generally reject this, because it does not produce a plausible formation from the Latin base. The word is also not related to "carousal", the riotous drinking party, despite the similar sound.

Synonyms: merry-go-round, roundabout