carp
1[ kahrp ]
/ kɑrp /
verb (used without object)
to find fault or complain querulously or unreasonably; be niggling in criticizing; cavil: to carp at minor errors.
noun
a peevish complaint.
QUIZZES
FOR POSTERITY’S SAKE, TAKE THIS WORD OF THE DAY QUIZ!
Are words your bailiwick? Take the latest quiz on the words from July 6 to July 12 to find out.
Question 1 of 7
bailiwick
Origin of carp
11200–50; Middle English carpen to speak, prate < Old Norse karpa to brag, wrangle
OTHER WORDS FROM carp
carp·er, nounWords nearby carp
carotodynia, carousal, carouse, carousel, carousel fraud, carp, carp., carpaccio, carpal, carpal joint, carpal tunnel
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
Example sentences from the Web for carper
British Dictionary definitions for carper (1 of 2)
carp1
/ (kɑːp) /
verb
(intr often foll by at) to complain or find fault; nag pettily
Derived forms of carp
carper, nounWord Origin for carp
C13: from Old Norse karpa to boast; related to Latin carpere to pluck
British Dictionary definitions for carper (2 of 2)
carp2
/ (kɑːp) /
noun plural carp or carps
a freshwater teleost food fish, Cyprinus carpio, having a body covered with cycloid scales, a naked head, one long dorsal fin, and two barbels on each side of the mouth: family Cyprinidae
any other fish of the family Cyprinidae; a cyprinid
Other words from carp
Related adjectives: cyprinid, cyprinoidWord Origin for carp
C14: from Old French carpe, of Germanic origin; compare Old High German karpfo, Old Norse karfi
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