Brewer's: Carnival

The season immediately preceding Lent; shrove-tide. Ducange gives the word carne-levale. (Modern Italian, carnovále; Spanish and French, carnaval.)

Italis, carnevale, carnovale, carnaval. Quidam scriptores Itali “carne-vale” dictum putant, quasi carne vale (good-by meat); sed id etymon non probat Octav. Ferrarius. Cangius ... appellasse Gallos existimat, carn-a-val, quod sonat caro abscedit ... [We are referred to a charter, dated 1195, in which occurs the word carne-lcvamen, and a quotation is given in which occurs the phrase in carnis levamen ]. —Ducange, vol. ii. p. 222.

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