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".
Noel may also refer to:
Read more about Noel: Places, Music, Fiction, Other Uses
Famous quotes containing the word noel:
“—The man who has stood on the Acropolis,
And looked down over Attica; or he
Who has sailed where picturesque Constantinople is,
Or seen Timbuctoo, or hath taken tea
In small-eyed China’s crockery-ware metropolis,
Or sat amidst the bricks of Nineveh,
May not think much of London’s first appearance—
But ask him what he thinks of it a year hence!”
—George Gordon Noel Byron (1788–1824)
“I think the worst woman that ever existed would have made a man of very passable reputation—they are all better than us & their faults such as they are must originate with ourselves.”
—George Gordon Noel Byron (1788–1824)
“A man must serve his time to every trade
Save censure—critics all are ready made.”
—George Gordon Noel Byron (1788–1824)