carving

[kahr-ving] /ˈkɑr vɪŋ/
noun
1.
the act of fashioning or producing by cutting into or shaping solid material, as wood.
2.
a carved design or figure.
Origin
See carve, -ing1

carve

[kahrv] /kɑrv/
verb (used with object), carved, carving.
1.
to cut (a solid material) so as to form something:
to carve a piece of pine.
2.
to form from a solid material by cutting:
to carve a statue out of stone.
3.
to cut into slices or pieces, as a roast of meat.
4.
to decorate with designs or figures cut on the surface:
The top of the box was beautifully carved with figures of lions and unicorns.
5.
to cut (a design, figures, etc.) on a surface:
Figures of lions and unicorns were carved on the top of the box.
6.
to make or create for oneself (often followed by out):
He carved out a career in business.
verb (used without object), carved, carving.
7.
to carve figures, designs, etc.
8.
to cut meat.
Origin
before 1000; Middle English kerven, Old English ceorfan to cut; cognate with Middle Low German kerven, German kerben, Greek gráphein to mark, write; see graph
Related forms
carver, noun
recarve, verb, recarved, recarving.
semicarved, adjective
uncarved, adjective
undercarve, verb (used with object), undercarved, undercarving.
well-carved, adjective
Examples from the web for carving
  • carving is done in the kitchen and no food set on the table except ornamental dishes of fruit, candy and nuts.
  • Lie ten nights awake, carving the fashion of a new doublet.
  • Bird should be placed on back, with legs at right of platter for carving.
  • They are carving satyrs' heads in the stone, with a crowd of gaping youngsters looking on in admiring wonder.
  • Many citizens secured places of safety for their families by carving out rooms in these embankments.
  • There was an old door in this playground, on which the boys had a custom of carving their names.
  • If you want to make serious cuts, the defense budget is the place to target the carving knife.
  • But carving out time for writing is essential to production.
  • Small, thin-skinned varieties are generally cultivated for consumption while the carving pumpkins are fairly bland.
  • But first, there was the matter of carving out a livelihood.
British Dictionary definitions for carving

carving

/ˈkɑːvɪŋ/
noun
1.
a figure or design produced by carving stone, wood, etc related adjective glyptic

carve

/kɑːv/
verb
1.
(transitive) to cut or chip in order to form something: to carve wood
2.
to decorate or form (something) by cutting or chipping: to carve statues
3.
to slice (meat) into pieces: to carve a turkey
See also carve out, carve up
Word Origin
Old English ceorfan; related to Old Frisian kerva, Middle High German kerben to notch
Word Origin and History for carving
n.

c.1200, verbal noun from carve.

carve

v.

Old English ceorfan (class III strong verb; past tense cearf, past participle corfen) "to cut, cut down, slay; to carve, cut out, engrave," from West Germanic *kerfan (cf. Old Frisian kerva, Middle Dutch and Dutch kerven, German kerben "to cut, notch"), from PIE root *gerbh- "to scratch," making carve the English cognate of Greek graphein "to write," originally "to scratch" on clay tablets with a stylus.

Once extensively used, most senses now usurped by cut (v.). Meaning specialized to sculpture, meat, etc., by 16c. Related: Carved; carving. Original strong conjugation has been abandoned, but archaic carven lingers.

Slang definitions & phrases for carving

carve

verb

To give one a thrill; send: He carves me. Does he carve you? (1930s+ Jive talk)


carving in the Bible

The arts of engraving and carving were much practised among the Jews. They were practised in connection with the construction of the tabernacle and the temple (Ex. 31:2, 5; 35:33; 1 Kings 6:18, 35; Ps. 74:6), as well as in the ornamentation of the priestly dresses (Ex. 28:9-36; Zech. 3:9; 2 Chr. 2:7, 14). Isaiah (44:13-17) gives a minute description of the process of carving idols of wood.