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 The underlying notion seems to be that such cloth was originally made from ‘plucked’ fabric, that is, fabric which had been unravelled or shredded.

Word origins - 2ed. . 2005.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Carpet — Car pet (k[aum]r p[e^]t), n. [OF. carpite rug, soft of cloth, F. carpette coarse packing cloth, rug (cf. It. carpita rug, blanket), LL. carpeta, carpita, woolly cloths, fr. L. carpere to pluck, to card (wool); cf. Gr. karpo s fruit, E.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • carpet — ► NOUN 1) a floor covering made from thick woven fabric. 2) a large rug. 3) a thick or soft expanse or layer: a carpet of bluebells. ► VERB (carpeted, carpeting) 1) cover with a carpet. 2) …   English terms dictionary

  • carpet — late 13c., coarse cloth; mid 14c., tablecloth, bedspread; from O.Fr. carpite heavy decorated cloth, from M.L. carpita thick woolen cloth, pp. of L. carpere to card, pluck, probably so called because it was made from unraveled, shreded, plucked… …   Etymology dictionary

  • carpet — [kär′pət] n. [ME < OFr carpite, carpet, kind of cloth < ML carpita, thick woolen cloth < pp. of L carpere, to card, pluck: see EXCERPT] 1. a thick, heavy fabric of wool, cotton, or synthetic fibers for covering a floor, stairs, etc.: it… …   English World dictionary

  • Carpet — Car pet, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Carpeted}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Carpeting}.] To cover with, or as with, a carpet; to spread with carpets; to furnish with a carpet or carpets. [1913 Webster] Carpeted temples in fashionable squares. E. Everett. [1913… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • cârpet — CÂRPÉT, cârpeturi, s.n. (Rar) Obiecte de îmbrăcăminte ieftine, proaste. – Din cârpă + suf. et. Trimis de gall, 03.02.2008. Sursa: DLRM …   Dicționar Român

  • carpet — [n] nappy floor covering carpeting, matting, rug, runner, tapestry, throw rug, wall to wall*; concept 473 …   New thesaurus

  • Carpet — For other uses, see Carpet (disambiguation). The Azerbaijani carpet, a UNESCO Masterpiece of Intangible Heritage of Humanity …   Wikipedia

  • carpet — n. 1) to beat a carpet 2) to lay a carpet 3) to take up a carpet (the carpet must be taken up and cleaned) 4) (misc.) to roll out the red carpet for smb. ( to give smb. a warm reception ); a flying, magic carpet; to call smb. on the carpet ( to… …   Combinatory dictionary

  • carpet — noun 1 material for covering floors ADJECTIVE ▪ deep pile (esp. BrE), lush (esp. AmE), plush (AmE), shag (esp. AmE), shag pile (BrE), soft, thick ▪ …   Collocations dictionary

  • carpet — n. & v. n. 1 a thick fabric for covering a floor or stairs. b a piece of this fabric. 2 an expanse or layer resembling a carpet in being smooth, soft, bright, or thick (carpet of snow). v.tr. (carpeted, carpeting) 1 cover with or as with a carpet …   Useful english dictionary

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”