Carve Once Meant to Cut Anything at All
To carve is to cut shapes from wood or stone, or to slice meat. The word has narrowed sharply from a general Old English verb for cutting.
To carve is to cut a shape from a hard material, or to slice cooked meat. In Old English *ceorfan* simply meant to cut, the everyday word. It narrowed as *cut*, borrowed later, took over the general job, leaving *carve* for skilled cutting only — which is why you carve a statue and a joint of beef but never a piece of string. The related noun *carving* covers both the act and the object.
- To shape by cutting. *Carved in oak.*
- To slice meat. *He carved the turkey.*
- To create by effort. *She carved out a career.*
- Carving — the object or the act. *A stone carving.*
- Carve up — to divide, often unfairly. *They carved up the territory.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb | carve | Carve the wood. |
| Past | carved | He carved it. |
| Noun | carving | A fine carving. |
| Agent | carver | A wood carver. |
| Old English | ceorfan | To cut. |
- The panel was carved from a single plank.Craft.
- Who is carving the roast?At table.
- She carved out a niche in the market.Figurative.
Carve phrases
- Carve out — to create a place or role by effort
- Carve up — to divide territory or spoils
- Carved in stone — permanent and unchangeable
- Carving knife — the long blade for slicing meat
- Carve-up — a British noun for a self-serving division
Old English *ceorfan*, to cut, from a Germanic root related to Dutch *kerven* and German *kerben*, to notch.
Is carved in stone always literal?
No. It most often means a decision is fixed and cannot be changed, usually in the negative: nothing is carved in stone.
Why does carve mean both sculpting and slicing meat?
Because it once meant simply to cut. It narrowed to skilled cutting when cut took over general use.