'reveller' originates from Middle English, from Old French 'reveler' meaning 'to make merry' or 'to revel'.

'reveller' changed from Old French 'reveler' into Middle English forms such as 'revelen'/'revellen' and eventually became the modern English noun 'reveller' (with the variant US spelling 'reveler').

Initially it referred to the action 'to make merry' or 'to rouse'; over time the word developed a noun sense meaning 'a person who takes part in noisy festivities'.