(intr often foll by at) to complain or find fault; nag pettily
Derived Formscarper, noun
Word Origin for carp
C13: from Old Norse karpa to boast; related to Latin carpere to pluck
carp
2
nounpluralcarporcarps
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
Related formsRelated adjectives: cyprinid, cyprinoid
Word Origin for carp
C14: from Old French carpe, of Germanic origin; compare Old High German karpfo, Old Norse karfi
type of freshwater fish, late 14c., from Old French carpe "carp" (13c.) and directly from Vulgar Latin carpa (source also of Italian carpa, Spanish carpa), from a Germanic source (cf. Middle Dutch carpe, Dutch karper, Old High German karpfo, German Karpfen "carp"); possibly the immediate source is Gothic *karpa. A Danube fish (hence the proposed East Germanic origin of its name), introduced in English ponds 14c. Lithuanian karpis, Russian karp are Germanic loan words.
carp
v.
"complain," early 13c., originally "to talk," from Old Norse karpa "to brag," of unknown origin; meaning turned toward "find fault with" (late 14c.), probably by influence of Latin carpere "to slander, revile," literally "to pluck" (see harvest (n.)). Related: Carped; carping.
