charivari

UK:**UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˌʃɑːrɪˈvɑːrɪ/

US:USA pronunciation: respellingUSA pronunciation: respelling(shiv′ə rē′, shiv′ə rē′, shə riv′ə rē′ or, esp. Brit., shär′ə vär′ē)



WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
cha•ri•va•ri  (shiv′ə rē′, shiv′ə rē′, shə riv′ə rē′ or, esp. Brit., shär′ə vär′ē),USA pronunciation n., pl. -ris, v.t., -ried, -ri•ing. 
  1. shivaree.
Also, chivaree, chivari. 
  • Greek karēbaría, equivalent. to karē-, combining form of kárā, kárē head + -baria (bar(ys) heavy + -ia -ia), on the hypothesis that such a noisy procession would cause a headache
  • Late Latin carībaria headache
  • French, Middle French, of obscure origin, originally; said to be

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
charivari /ˌʃɑːrɪˈvɑːrɪ/, shivaree, esp US chivaree n
  1. a discordant mock serenade to newlyweds, made with pans, kettles, etc
  2. a confused noise; din
Etymology: 17th Century: from French, from Late Latin caribaria headache, from Greek karēbaria, from karē head + barus heavy
'charivari' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
chivaree - shivaree

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