carp

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See also: Carp, CARP, and -carp

English

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

From Late Middle English carpe (the common carp (Cyprinus carpio)), from Old French carpe, from Late Latin carpa, possibly from Proto-West Germanic *karpo (possibly due to the introduction from the fish from the Danube into England in the 14th century; whence Middle Low German karpe and Old High German charpho, karpho); further etymology unknown.

Noun

carp (plural carp or carps)

A common carp (Cyprinus carpio; etymology 1, sense 1).
  1. Any of various freshwater fish of the family Cyprinidae; specifically the common carp, Cyprinus carpio.
    • 1653, Iz Wa, chapter VIII, in The Compleat Angler or The Contemplative Man’s Recreation. Being a Discourse of Fish and Fishing, , London: T. Maxey for Rich Marriot, , →OCLC; reprinted as The Compleat Angler (Homo Ludens; 6), Nieuwkoop, South Holland, Netherlands: Miland Publishers, 1969, →ISBN, pages 161–162:
      The Carp is a ſtately, a good, and a ſubtle fiſh, a fiſh that hath not (as it is ſaid) been long in England, but ſaid to be by one Mr. Maſcall (a Gentleman then living at Plumſted in Suſſex) brought into this Nation: Carps and Loches are obſerved to breed ſeveral months in one year, vvhich moſt other fiſh do not, and it is the rather believed, becauſe you ſhall ſcarce or never take a Male Carp vvithout a Melt, or a Female vvithout a Roe or Spavvn;
    • 1988, “Mayhem Maybe”, in Ian Anderson (music), 20 Years of Jethro Tull, performed by Jethro Tull:
      Like scaly carp and feathered swan
      To nature's world we do belong.
    • 2022 June 22, Patti Wetli, “Introducing Copi, the Fish Formerly Known as Asian Carp”, in WTTW:
      Illinois took the initiative in renaming the Asian carp given the state’s position as a sort of “last stand” against the carp entering the Great Lakes.
    • 2023 May 18, David McElhenney, “13 of Japan’s best castles”, in CNN:
      Matsumoto Castle exhibits the architecture of both war and peace, from its steep wooden stairs, hidden inner levels and archer’s perches to the moon-viewing room added in 1630, which also offers a vantage point for viewing the brocaded carps and ducks residing in the castle moat.
Hyponyms
Derived terms
Descendants
  • Welsh: carp
Translations

Etymology 2

The verb is derived from Middle English carpen, karpe (to chat, converse, talk; to chatter, gossip; to ask; to cry out, wail; to find fault, carp; to relate, tell; to recite; to sing), and then partly:

The noun is derived from the verb. (Middle English carp, karp (conversation, discourse, talking; spoken or written message or statement; meaning; news; poem; song; story), from Old Norse karp (bragging), did not survive into modern English.)

Verb

carp (third-person singular simple present carps, present participle carping, simple past and past participle carped)

  1. (intransitive)
    1. To criticize or complain about a fault, especially for frivolous or petty reasons; to cavil.
      • 1561 May 16 (Gregorian calendar), Ihon Caluin , “That there is Taught in the Scriptures One Essence of God from the Very Creation, which Essence Conteineth in It Thre Persons”, in , transl., The Institution of Christian Religion, , London: by">…] Reinolde Wolfe & Richarde Harison, →OCLC, 1st book, folio 34, recto:
        Here agayne Seruetto carpeth, yͭ God did beare the perſon of an Angel. As thoughe the Prophete did not confirme that whiche Moſes had ſaied: why doeſt thou aſke me of my name?
      • c. 1580s (date written), C M, “Elegia. 15. Ad inuidos, qaod fama poetarum sit perennis.”, in Ouids Elegies: Three Bookes. , Middlebourgh Thomas Cotes?], published c. 1640, →OCLC, signature , verso:
        Enuie vvhy carpeſt thou my time is ſpent ſo ill, / And termſt my vvorkes fruites of an idle quill.
      • 1592 January 6 (date written; Gregorian calendar), Ed. Spencer , “To the Right Worthy and Noble Knight Sir Walter Raleigh, ”, in Colin Clouts Come Home Againe, London: ">…] T C for William Ponsonbie, published 1595, →OCLC, signature A2, recto:
        ith your good countenance protect against the malice of euill mouthes, vvhich are alvvaies vvide open to carpe at and miſconstrue my ſimple meaning.
      • a. 1678 (date written), Isaac Barrow, “The Eighth Sermon. S. Matth 7. 1.”, in Several Sermons against Evil-Speaking, London: Brabazon Aylmer, , published 1678, →OCLC, pages 58–59:
        f vve ſhould never cenſure vvithout great Reaſon or neceſſity, hovv ſeldom ſhould vve do it? o vve not eagerly ſearch after, and greedily embrace all occaſions to do it? Is it not a pleaſant entertainment to us, to be carping and cavelling at any Body vve meet, at any thing vve ſee done?
      • 1785 April 21 (date written), Robert Burns, “To the Same Lk, an Old Scottish Bard]”, in Poems, Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect, 2nd edition, volume II, Edinburgh: T Cadell, , and William Creech, , published 1793, →OCLC, page 95:
        My vvorthy friend, ne'er grudge an' carp, / Tho' Fortune uſe you hard an' ſharp; / Come, kittle up your moorland harp / VVi' gleeſome touch!
      • 1879, Matthew Arnold, “Falkland”, in Mixed Essays, London: Smith, Elder, & Co., , →OCLC, page 207:
        Clarendon's touch, where in his memoirs he speaks of Falkland, is simpler than in the History. But we will not carp at this great writer and faithful friend.
    2. (obsolete) To speak, to talk; also, to talk about a subject in speech or writing.
    3. (obsolete) To talk much but to little purpose; to chatter, to prattle.
      Synonyms: blabber, prate; see also Thesaurus:prattle
      • 1521–1522, John Skelton, “Here after Followeth a Litel Boke Called Colyn Cloute, ”, in Alexander Dyce, editor, The Poetical Works of John Skelton: , volume I, London: Thomas Rodd, , published 1843, →OCLC, page 332, lines 548–552:
        And some of them barke, / Clatter and carpe / Of that heresy arte / Called Wicleuista, / The deuelysshe dogmatista;
      • 1557 August 10 (Gregorian calendar), , “A Praise of Maistresse R.”, in Songes and Sonettes, London: Richard Tottel, →OCLC, folio 84, verso:
        And therwithall came curiouſneſſe and carped out of frame. / The audience laught to heare the ſtrife as they beheld the ſame.
      • 1825, T Doubleday, Babington. A Tragedy, Edinburgh: William Blackwood; London: T Cadell, , →OCLC, Act II, scene iii, page 54:
        Psha! thou carpest and carpest, and yet tell'st nought; in a word, What say'st thou to him?
    4. (obsolete) Of a bird: to sing; of a person (such as a minstrel): to sing or recite.
  2. (transitive, obsolete)
    1. To say or tell (something).
    2. To find fault with (someone or something); to censure, to criticize.
      Synonyms: reprehend, reprove, take exception
      • 1605, M. N. , “Grave Speeches, and Wittie Apothegmes of Woorthie Personages of This Realme in Former Times”, in Remaines of a Greater Worke, Concerning Britaine, , London: G E for Simon Waterson, →OCLC, :
        Albeit I doe knovve they vvill lie open to the cenſure of the youth of our time, vvho for the moſt part, are ſo over-gulled vvith ſelf-liking, that they are more then giddy in admiring themſelves, and carping vvhatſoever hath beene done or ſaide heeretofore, Nevertheleſſe I hope that all are not of one humour, and doubt not, but that there is diverſitie of taſtes, as vvas among Horaces gueſts;
      • 1690, Dryden, Don Sebastian, King of Portugal: , London: Jo. Hindmarsh, , →OCLC, Act IV, scene i, page 104:
        hen I ſpoke, / My honeſt homely vvords vvere carp'd, and cenſur'd, / For vvant of Courtly ſtile:
Conjugation
Conjugation of carp
infinitive (to) carp
present tense past tense
1st-person singular carp carped
2nd-person singular carp, carpest carped, carpedst
3rd-person singular carps, carpeth carped
plural carp
subjunctive carp carped
imperative carp
participles carping carped

Archaic or obsolete.

Derived terms
Translations

Noun

carp (plural carps)

  1. An instance of, or speech, complaining or criticizing about a fault, especially for frivolous or petty reasons; a cavil.
Translations

References

  1. ^ carpe, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
  2. ^ Douglas Harper (2001–2025) “carp”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.
  3. ^ carp, n.1”, in OED Online Paid subscription required, Oxford: Oxford University Press, July 2023; carp1, n.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
  4. ^ carpen, v.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
  5. ^ carp, v.1”, in OED Online Paid subscription required, Oxford: Oxford University Press, September 2023; carp2, v.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
  6. ^ carp, n.2”, in OED Online Paid subscription required, Oxford: Oxford University Press, September 2023.
  7. ^ carp, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

Further reading

Anagrams

Catalan

Catalan Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia ca

Etymology

Borrowed from Ancient Greek καρπός (karpós, wrist).

Pronunciation

Noun

carp m (plural carps)

  1. carpus

Further reading

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French carpe.

Noun

carp n (uncountable)

  1. carpus

Declension

Declension of carp
singular only indefinite definite
nominative-accusative carp carpul
genitive-dative carp carpului
vocative carpule

Welsh

Etymology

Borrowed from English carp.

Noun

carp m (collective, singulative cerpyn)

  1. carps

Hyponyms

Mutation

Mutated forms of carp
radical soft nasal aspirate
carp garp ngharp charp

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Welsh.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

Further reading

  • R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke et al., editors (1950–present), “carp”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies