Carnival
WordNet
noun
(1) A festival marked by merrymaking and processions
(2) A traveling show; having sideshows and rides and games of skill etc.
(3) A frenetic disorganized (and often comic) disturbance suggestive of a large public entertainment
"It was so funny it was a circus"
"The whole occasion had a carnival atmosphere"
WiktionaryText
Etymology
From carnevale, from the phrase carnem levāre, to put away meat
Noun
- A festive occasion marked by parades and sometimes special foods and other entertainment
- We all got to ride the merry-go-round when the brought their carnival to town.
- Comic good times marked by special events.
- A parade group masquerading, especially when overstepping the bounds of decorum; a time of riotous excess.
- When the carnival came to town, every one wanted some cotton candy.
- The season just before the beginning of the Roman Catholic season of Lent, when New Orleans has its Mardi Gras carnival.