Beyond Words




Etymology of NOËL

December 22nd, 2008 by Maria, Contributing Writer


NOËL
Another term signifying the holiday season, Noël comes to us from the Latin verb nasci, meaning “to be born.”

In the book of Ecclesiastes, the birth of Jesus is called natalis. A variation of this word, nael, made its way into Old French as a reference to the Christmas season and later into Middle English as nowel.

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Posted in Etymology | 1 Comment

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  1. [...] Noel, simply put, is another word for “Christmas” or the events surrounding Christmas. It is also spelled “Nowell” or “Noël” and is derived from French, and before that the Latin natalis, which refers to the nativity of Christ. So the word noel is very Christological in meaning and specifically refers to the incarnation of Christ. So the next time you sing “The First Noel,” you can have a more detailed idea of what you’re singing about. [...]

    Noel! | Lauren Is My Sister on December 27th, 2011 at 9:28 pm
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