Noel
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Noel (or noël, sometimes written as nowell in English) is an alternate word for Christmas. The word comes from the French word Noël meaning "Christmas" which derives from the Old French word noël, a variant of nael. The Latin origin is the word natalis ("birth"). According to the 18th century Irish linguist and historian Charles Vallencey, a more ancient common origin appears in the Hebrew word nolah (Hebrew letters nuwn waw lamed he), meaning "to bring forth young." Subsequently, the Irish named December Mi Nolagh, meaning "the month of the newborn." The Irish word for Christmas day was simply Nolagh.[1] Although there is no Biblical use of nolah, another Hebrew word nephel [2] is used Biblically to refer to an "untimely birth."
Noel may also refer to:
- Noel (name), male or female name derived from noël
- Noel, Missouri
- 1563 Noël, an asteroid
- Hurricane Noel
- Noel (company), Colombian cookie manufacturer
- No observable adverse effect level (NOAEL), toxicological measure
In music:
- Noel (singer), Noel Pagan, an 1980s musician
- Noel (Noel album), 1988 album by Noel
- Noël (Joan Baez album), 1966 album by folk singer Joan Baez
- Noël (Josh Groban album), 2007 album by Josh Groban
- The First Nowell (The First Noël), traditional English Christmas carol
- Nouveau Livre de Noëls (12 Noels ), classical compostion by the french composer Daquin
In fiction:
- Noel (film), a 2004 film
- Noël (comics), a comics series and character by André Franquin
- "Noël" (The West Wing), episode of NBC series, The West Wing
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