Hypertext Webster Gateway: "carnival"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Carnival \Car"ni*val\, n. [It. carnevale, prob. for older
carnelevale, prop., the putting away of meat; fr. L. caro,
carnis, flesh + levare to take away, lift up, fr. levis
light.]
1. A festival celebrated with merriment and revelry in Roman
Gatholic countries during the week before Lent, esp. at
Rome and Naples, during a few days (three to ten) before
Lent, ending with Shrove Tuesday.
The carnival at Venice is everywhere talked of.
--Addison.
2. Any merrymaking, feasting, or masquerading, especially
when overstepping the bounds of decorum; a time of riotous
excess. --Tennyson.
He saw the lean dogs beneath the wall Hold o'er the
dead their carnival --Byron.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
carnival
n 1: a festival marked by merrymaking and processions
2: a frenetic disorganized (and often comic) disturbance
suggestive of a circus or carnival; "it was so funny it
was a circus"; "the whole occasion had a carnival
atmosphere" [syn: {circus}]
3: a traveling show; having sideshows and rides and games of
skill etc. [syn: {fair}, {funfair}]
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