carp

carp · noun¹

1. Proto-West Germanic · derived from*karpo
2. Late Latin · derived fromcarpa
3. Old French · derived fromcarpe
4. Middle English · inherited fromcarpe“the common carp (Cyprinus carpio)”
5. English todaycarp

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.

carp · verb, noun²

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*kerp-“to harvest, pluck”
2. Latin · derived fromcarpere
3. Old Norse · derived fromkarpa“to boast, brag; to dispute, quarrel”
4. Middle English · inherited fromcarpen
5. English todaycarp

The verb is derived from Middle English carpen, karpe (“to chat, converse, talk; to chatter, gossip; to ask; to cry out, wail; to find fault, carp; to relate, tell; to recite; to sing”), and then partly: * from Old Norse karpa (“to boast, brag; to dispute, quarrel”), further etymology unknown; and * from, or influenced by, Latin carpere, the present active infinitive of carpō (“to harvest, pick, pluck; to criticize, revile, slander, carp at”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kerp- (“to harvest, pluck”). The noun is derived from the verb. (Middle English carp, karp (“conversation, discourse, talking; spoken or written message or statement; meaning; news; poem; song; story”), from Old Norse karp (“bragging”), did not survive into modern English.)

Carp · proper noun³

* As a German, Polish, and Jewish surname, spelling variant of Karp. * As an English surname, from the noun carp (“kind of fish”). * Also as an English surname, from the verb carp (“to complain”).

Words from the same roots