carp
1[ kahrp ]
/ kɑrp /
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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.
OTHER WORDS FOR carp
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Origin of carp
11200–50; Middle English carpen to speak, prate <Old Norse karpa to brag, wrangle
OTHER WORDS FROM carp
carper, nounOther definitions for carp (2 of 4)
carp2
[ kahrp ]
/ kɑrp /
noun, plural (especially collectively) carp, (especially referring to two or more kinds or species) carps.
a large freshwater cyprinid fish, Cyprinus carpio, native to Asia but widely introduced in tropical and temperate waters: an important food fish in many countries.
any of various other fishes of the family Cyprinidae.
Origin of carp
21350–1400; Middle English carpe<Middle French <Middle Dutch or Middle Low German karpe; cognate with Old High German karpfo
Other definitions for carp (3 of 4)
-carp
a combining form occurring in compounds that denote a part of a fruit or fruiting body: endocarp.
Origin of -carp
<New Latin -carpium<Greek -karpion, derivative of karpós fruit
Other definitions for carp (4 of 4)
carp.
abbreviation
carpentry.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022
How to use carp in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for carp (1 of 3)
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 carp (2 of 3)
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
British Dictionary definitions for carp (3 of 3)
-carp
n combining form
(in botany) fruit or a reproductive structure that develops into a particular part of the fruitepicarp
Word Origin for -carp
from New Latin -carpium, from Greek -karpion, from karpos fruit
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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