carol

Carol comes from Middle English carole, a round dance with singing, from Old French carole. Beyond that the trail forks: it may trace to Medieval Latin choraula (a flute player accompanying a chorus dance), from Greek khoraulēs, itself from khorós (choir, dance) and aulós (flute) — or it may come from Latin corōlla, 'little crown,' from corōna (wreath), ultimately from a Greek root meaning 'to turn or bend.'

The Middle English word covered a lot of ground — a circling dance, the song sung during it, a religious poem, even a writing desk or small enclosed stall. Over time the dancing fell away and the singing remained, narrowing carol into the festive song we know now.

It's often compared to chorus and terpsichorean, words that share its possible roots in Greek khorós, the circling dance of a choir.