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".
Read more about Noel.
Famous quotes containing the word noel:
“The lapse of ages changes all things—time, language, the earth, the bounds of the sea, the stars of the sky, and every thing “about, around, and underneath” man, except man himself.”
—George Gordon Noel Byron (1788–1824)
“O Gold! I still prefer thee unto paper,
Which makes bank credit like a bark of vapour.”
—George Gordon Noel Byron (1788–1824)
“It is true from early habit, one must make love mechanically as one swims; I was once very fond of both, but now as I never swim unless I tumble into the water, I don’t make love till almost obliged.”
—George Gordon Noel Byron (1788–1824)