carpet
pronunciation
How to pronounce carpet in British English:
UK [ˈkɑːpɪt]
How to pronounce carpet in American English:
US [ˈkɑːrpɪt]
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- Noun:
- floor covering consisting of a piece of thick heavy fabric (usually with nap or pile)
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- Verb:
- form a carpet-like cover (over)
- cover completely, as if with a carpet
- cover with a carpet
Word Origin
- carpet
- carpet: [14] Originally, carpet was simply a sort of rough cloth, and medieval Latin carpīta, for example, was sometimes used for a garment made from it. In earliest English use it was a ‘table-cloth’ or ‘bed-spread’, and it was not until the 15th century that the specialized ‘floorcovering’ began to establish itself. The word itself entered English via either Old French carpite or medieval Latin carpīta, which was derived from carpīre, an alteration of Latin carpere ‘pluck’ (related to English harvest).The underlying notion seems to be that such cloth was originally made from ‘plucked’ fabric, that is, fabric which had been unravelled or shredded.
- carpet (n.)
- late 13c., "coarse cloth;" mid-14c., "tablecloth, bedspread;" from Old French carpite "heavy decorated cloth, carpet," from Medieval Latin or Old Italian carpita "thick woolen cloth," probably from Latin carpere "to card, pluck," probably so called because it was made from unraveled, shreded, "plucked" fabric; from PIE *kerp- "to gather, pluck, harvest" (see harvest (n.)). Meaning shifted 15c. to floor coverings. From 16c.-19c. as an adjective often with a tinge of contempt, when used of men (as in carpet-knight, 1570s) by association with luxury, ladies' boudoirs, and drawing rooms. On the carpet "summoned for reprimand" is 1900, U.S. colloquial (but compare carpet (v.) "call (someone) to be reprimanded," 1823, British servants' slang). To sweep or push something under the carpet in the figurative sense is first recorded 1953.
- carpet (v.)
- "to cover with a carpet," 1620s, from carpet (n.). Meaning "call to reprimand" is from 1840. Related: Carpeted; carpeting.
Example
- 1. He never dreamed of giving up carpet tiles .
- 2. Some have become carpet warehouses , restaurants or rehearsal venues .
- 3. Not quite -- this royal wedding is no oscars red carpet .
- 4. In that case , I definitely overpaid for my carpet .
- 5. Entertainment 's live red carpet coverage of the 2006 golden globes ceremony .