Etymology
1. O.E.
ceorfan (class III strong verb; past tense
cearf, pp.
corfen), from W.Gmc.
*kerfan, from PIE base
*gerebh- "to scratch," making
carve the Eng. cognate of Gk.
graphein. Once extensively used, most senses now usurped by
cut. Meaning specialized to sculpture, meat, etc., by 16c. Strong conjugation became weak, but archaic
carven is still encountered. In a set of dining chairs, the one with the arms, usually at the head of the table, is the
carver (1927), reserved for the one who carves.
2. Etymology tree
3. Proto-Indo-European *gerbʰ-der.
4. Proto-Germanic *kerbaną
5. Proto-West Germanic *kerban
6. Old English ċeorfan
7. Middle English kerven
8. English carve
9. From Middle English kerven, from Old English ceorfan, from Proto-West Germanic *kerban, from Proto-Germanic *kerbaną, from Proto-Indo-European *gerbʰ- (“to scratch”). Cognate with West Frisian kerve, Dutch kerven, Low German karven, German kerben (“to notch”); also Old Prussian gīrbin (“number”), Old Church Slavonic жрѣбии (žrěbii, “lot, tallymark”), Ancient Greek γράφειν (gráphein, “to scratch, etch”). See: Middle English '
kerven', Old English '
ceorfan', Proto-Germanic '
*kerbaną', Dutch '
kerven', Low Saxon 'karven', German, old spelling '
kerben'.
Verbs referencing "carve"
English
graft, Greek, Ancient
γράφω, Frisian, Saterlandic käärwje.