Carolus

Carolus is the Latinized form of the Germanic name Karl, derived from a root meaning man or free man, related to the Old English ceorl denoting a common man or peasant. It was widely used in medieval scholarly and ecclesiastical Latin contexts, most famously borne by Carolus Magnus, the Frankish king known in English as Charlemagne, whose name became synonymous with imperial authority across Europe. The Latinized form also appears in the binomial nomenclature tradition, as the Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus published under the name Carolus Linnaeus. Karl, Charles, Carlo, Karol, and Carlos are among its many vernacular cognates across European languages.