car ‧ ni ‧ val /ˈkɑːnəv ə l, ˈkɑːnɪv ə l $ ˈkɑːr-/ BrE AmE noun
[ Date: 1500-1600 ; Language: Italian ; Origin: carnevale , from carne 'meat' ( ⇨ ↑ carnation ) + levare 'to remove' ; because after Carnival people stopped eating meat for a period ]
1 . [uncountable and countable] a public event at which people play music, wear special clothes, and dance in the streets:
preparations for this year’s carnival
when it’s Carnival in Rio
a carnival atmosphere in the town
2 . [countable] American English a noisy outdoor event at which you can ride on special machines and play games for prizes SYN funfair British English
3 . [countable] American English a school event at which students play games for prizes
4 . carnival of something literary an exciting mixture of things:
Shakespeare’s carnival of images