carp
/ˈkɑɹp/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 3.18 in modern English
8
Scrabble Score
4
Letters
1
Syllables
4
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
Any of various freshwater fish of the family Cyprinidae.
noun
Any of various freshwater fish of the family Cyprinidae.
verb
To criticize or complain about a fault, especially for frivolous or petty reasons; to cavil.
Intransitive verb
verb
To speak, to talk; also, to talk about a subject in speech or writing.
Intransitive verb; Obsolete
Example Sentences
- "The Carp is a ſtately, a good, and a ſubtle fiſh, a fiſh that hath not (as it is ſaid) been long in England, but ſaid to be by one Mr. Maſcall (a Gentleman then living at Plumſted in Suſſex) brought into this Nation: […] Carps and Loches are obſerved to breed ſeveral months in one year, vvhich moſt other fiſh do not, and it is the rather believed, becauſe you ſhall ſcarce or never take a Male Carp vvithout a Melt, or a Female vvithout a Roe or Spavvn; […]"
- "Like scaly carp and feathered swan To nature's world we do belong."
- "Illinois took the initiative in renaming the Asian carp given the state’s position as a sort of “last stand” against the carp entering the Great Lakes."
- "Matsumoto Castle exhibits the architecture of both war and peace, from its steep wooden stairs, hidden inner levels and archer’s perches to the moon-viewing room added in 1630, which also offers a vantage point for viewing the brocaded carps and ducks residing in the castle moat."
- "Here agayne Seruetto carpeth, yͭ God did beare the perſon of an Angel. As thoughe the Prophete did not confirme that whiche Moſes had ſaied: why doeſt thou aſke me of my name?"
- "Enuie vvhy carpeſt thou my time is ſpent ſo ill, / And termſt my vvorkes fruites of an idle quill."
Etymology
From Late Middle English carpe (“the common carp (Cyprinus carpio)”), from Old French carpe, from Late Latin carpa, possibly from Proto-West Germanic *karpo (possibly due to the introduction from the fish from the Danube into England in the 14th century; whence Middle Low German karpe and Old High German charpho, karpho); further etymology unknown.
Origin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈkɑɹp/
- British English: /ˈkɑːp/
Usage
Inflected Forms
carps (plural)
carps (present, singular)
carping (participle, present)
carped (participle, past)
carped (past)
no-table-tags (table tags)
glossary (inflection template)
carped (first person, past)
carpest (archaic, present)
carped (past, second person)
carpedst (archaic, past)
carpeth (archaic, present)