carve Meaning, Definition & Usage

verb form by carving
- Carve a flower from the ice
verb engrave or cut by chipping away at a surface
chip at.
- carve one's name into the bark
verb cut to pieces
cut up.
- Father carved the ham

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.

imperfect & past participle Carved ; present participle & verbal noun Carving

To cut. Obs.
Or they will carven the shepherd's throat. Spenser.
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.
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.
To cut into small pieces or slices, as meat at table; to divide for distribution or apportionment; to apportion. "To carve a capon." = carve up Shak.
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.
To take or make, as by cutting; to provide.
Who could easily have carved themselves their own food. South.
To lay out; to contrive; to design; to plan.
Lie ten nights awake carving the fashion of a new doublet. Shak.
Shak.
Fortunes were carved out of the property of the crown. Macaulay.