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.
Carve\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Carved; p. pr. & vb. n. Carving.] [AS. ceorfan to cut, carve; akin to D. kerven, G. kerben, Dan. karve, Sw. karfva, and to Gr. ? to write, orig. to scatch, and E. -graphy. Cf. Graphic.]1. To cut. [Obs.] Or they will carven the shepherd's throat. --Spenser. 2. To cut, as wood, stone, or other material, in an artistic or decorative manner; to sculpture; to engrave. Carved with figures strange and sweet. --Coleridge. 3. To make or shape by cutting, sculpturing, or engraving; to form; as, to carve a name on a tree. An angel carved in stone. --Tennyson. We carved not a line, and we raised not a stone. --C. Wolfe. 4. To cut into small pieces or slices, as meat at table; to divide for distribution or apportionment; to apportion. "To carve a capon." --Shak. 5. To cut: to hew; to mark as if by cutting. My good blade carved the casques of men. --Tennyson. A million wrinkles carved his skin. --Tennyson. 6. To take or make, as by cutting; to provide. Who could easily have carved themselves their own food. --South. 7. To lay out; to contrive; to design; to plan. Lie ten nights awake carving the fashion of a new doublet. --Shak. To carve out, to make or get by cutting, or as if by cutting; to cut out. "[Macbeth] with his brandished steel . . . carved out his passage." --Shak. Fortunes were carved out of the property of the crown. --Macaulay.
![[P]](http://cache.lexico.com/g/d/premium_mh.gif){kind=small}
Audio Help [kahrv] Pronunciation Key verb, carved, carv·ing. 
