Noel

Noel

Noel (also spelled Nowell or Noël) (nəʊˈɛl) is an alternative word for Christmas. It first entered the English language in the 14th century. The word comes from Middle English noel, which derives from the Old French word noël and its more common form naël. The English spelling "Noël" is taken directly from modern French, which also derives from the Old French. The ultimate Latin origin is the phrase nātālis (diēs), "(day) of birth".

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Famous quotes containing the word noel:

    If I don’t write to empty my mind, I go mad. As to that regular, uninterrupted love of writing ... I do not understand it. I feel it as a torture, which I must get rid of, but never as a pleasure. On the contrary, I think composition a great pain.
    —George Gordon Noel Byron (1788–1824)

    Keep thy smooth words and juggling homilies
    For those who know thee not.
    —George Gordon Noel Byron (1788–1824)

    I’ll publish, right or wrong:
    Fools are my theme, let satire be my song.
    —George Gordon Noel Byron (1788–1824)