carton

[kahr-tn] /ˈkɑr tn/
noun
1.
a cardboard or plastic box used typically for storage or shipping.
2.
the amount a carton can hold.
3.
the contents of a carton.
4.
a cardboardlike substance consisting of chewed plant material often mixed with soil, made by certain insects for building nests.
verb (used with object)
5.
to pack in a carton:
to carton eggs for supermarket sales.
verb (used without object)
6.
to make or form cardboard sheets into cartons.
Origin
1780-90; < French < Italian cartone pasteboard; see cartoon
Related forms
uncartoned, adjective
Can be confused
carton, cartoon.
Examples from the web for carton
  • The pack weighs about as much as a small laptop computer, yet fits into a case smaller than a carton of cigarettes.
  • Here's a nifty milk carton that really spells out its purpose.
  • Cut two small holes in the top of the carton, one on each side of the peak.
  • Arrange eggshells in an empty egg carton or eggcups.
  • There was a store-bought easel and a carton of art supplies on the floor.
British Dictionary definitions for carton

carton

/ˈkɑːtən/
noun
1.
a cardboard box for containing goods
2.
a container of waxed paper or plastic in which liquids, such as milk, are sold
3.
(shooting)
  1. a white disc at the centre of a target
  2. a shot that hits this disc
verb (transitive)
4.
to enclose (goods) in a carton
Word Origin
C19: from French, from Italian cartone pasteboard, from cartacard1
Word Origin and History for carton
n.

1816, from French carton "pasteboard" (17c.), from Italian cartone "pasteboard," augmentative of Medieval Latin carta "paper" (see card (n.)). Originally the material for making paper boxes; extended 1906 to the boxes themselves. As a verb, from 1921.