Skip to content

carnaval

carnival

noun kahr-nah-BAHL Rare
Arts & Culture Festivals

Origin: From Italian carnevale, likely from Medieval Latin carne vale (farewell to meat) before Lent.

Usage Note

Carnaval refers to the festive period before Lent, celebrated across Spain and Latin America with parades, costumes, and music. The most famous Spanish-speaking carnivals are in Cádiz, Tenerife, Barranquilla (Colombia), and Montevideo. In Spain the word has no written accent (carnaval), following normal stress rules (final stress before a consonant). The plural is carnavales.

Examples

"El carnaval de Cádiz es muy famoso."

Natural Translation

The Cádiz carnival is very famous.

Explore Spanish by topic