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cha·ri·va·ri

(shĭv′ə-rē, shĭvə-rē′)

n. pl. cha·ri·va·ris

1. Regional See shivaree.

2. An introductory piece at the beginning of a circus, featuring all the performers who will be appearing later in the show.

[French, from Old French, perhaps from Late Latin carībaria, headache, from Greek karēbariā : karē, head; see ker-¹ in the Appendix of Indo-European roots + barus, heavy; see g^werə-¹ in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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