carpenter

[kahr-puh n-ter]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR carpenter ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a person who builds or repairs wooden structures, as houses, scaffolds, or shelving.

verb (used without object)

to do carpenter's work.

verb (used with object)

to make by carpentry.

to construct (a plot, scene, article, or the like) in a mechanical or unoriginal fashion.

Origin of carpenter

1275–1325; Middle English < Anglo-French < Late Latin carpentārius wainwright, equivalent to Latin carpent(um) two-wheeled carriage (< Celtic; compare Old Irish carpad chariot) + -ārius -ary; see -er²

Related formsun·car·pen·tered, adjective

Carpenter

[kahr-puh n-ter]

noun

John Alden,1876–1951, U.S. composer.

(Malcolm) Scott,1925–2013, U.S. astronaut and oceanographer.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for carpenter

laborer, builder, worker, artisan, woodworker, cabinetmaker, chips, joiner, mason, craftsperson

Examples from the Web for carpenter

Contemporary Examples of carpenter

Sands was involved in a scandalous-for-the-time romance with the carpenter and there were rumors she was pregnant with his child.
New York’s Most Tragic Ghost Loves Minimalist Swedish Fashion
Nina Strochlic
January 8, 2015
The model: a carpenter who showed up to her house looking for work.
Blessed or Cursed? Child Prodigies Reveal All
Justin Jones
November 17, 2014
When a female candidate slips up, she should respond succinctly and then introduce third-party validators, said Carpenter.
The Gubernatorial Glass Ceiling—and What It Means for Hillary Clinton
Eleanor Clift
June 5, 2014
In the wake of the explosion, Carpenter could not remember it, and a brain injury left Eufrazio unable to speak for two years.
Marine Kyle Carpenter to Receive the Medal of Honor
Brian Van Reet
March 18, 2014
He was standing guard at a different post, attacked at the same time as Carpenter and Eufrazio.
Marine Kyle Carpenter to Receive the Medal of Honor
Brian Van Reet
March 18, 2014

Historical Examples of carpenter

It is another brother of his, who follows the trade of carpenter.
Little Daffydowndilly
Nathaniel Hawthorne
The carpenter Andrew would like to speak to you, Mrs. Ritter, if it will not disturb you too much.
Rico and Wiseli
Johanna Spyri
If you will tell me what you have to say to the carpenter, I will let you go.
Rico and Wiseli
Johanna Spyri
For all that, I know very well what a treasure I possess in Andrew the carpenter.
Rico and Wiseli
Johanna Spyri
The colonel threw his cloak about his shoulders, and hastened down to the carpenter's.
Rico and Wiseli
Johanna Spyri

British Dictionary definitions for carpenter

carpenter

noun

a person skilled in woodwork, esp in buildings, ships, etc

verb

(intr) to do the work of a carpenter

(tr) to make or fit together by or as if by carpentry

Word Origin for carpenter

C14: from Anglo-French, from Latin carpentārius wagon-maker, from carpentum wagon; of Celtic origin

Carpenter

noun

John Alden. 1876–1951, US composer, who used jazz rhythms in orchestral music: his works include the ballet Skyscrapers (1926) and the orchestral suite Adventures in a Perambulator (1915)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for carpenter

"wood-worker," c.1300 (attested from early 12c. as a surname), from Anglo-French carpenter, Old North French carpentier (Old French and Modern French charpentier), from Late Latin (artifex) carpentarius "wagon (maker)," from Latin carpentum "wagon, two-wheeled carriage, cart," from Gaulish, from Old Celtic *carpentom (cf. Old Irish carpat, Gaelic carbad "carriage"), probably related to Gaulish karros (see car).

Also from the Late Latin word are Spanish carpentero, Italian carpentiero. Replaced Old English treowwyrhta, literally "tree-wright." German Zimmermann "carpenter" is from Old High German zimbarman, from zimbar "wood for building, timber," cognate with Old Norse timbr (see timber). First record of carpenter bee is from 1844.