Dictionary
Find
in
Dictionary
Thesaurus
Translations

Click to move up the list of words
carp (2)
carpaccio
carpal
carpal tunnel syndrome
Carpathian Mountains
carpe diem
carpel
Carpentaria, Gulf of
carpenter
carpenter ant
carpenter bee
Carpentersville
carpentry
carpet
carpet beetle
carpet-bomb
carpet bowling
Click to move down the list of words
Print Preview
See pronunciation key
Search for "carpenter" in all of MSN Encarta
E-mail this entry
Blog about this entry on MSN Spaces
Download the MSN Encarta Right-Click Dictionary

carpenter

car·pen·ter [ krpəntər ]


noun  (plural car·pen·ters)
Definition:
 
builder of wooden structures: a builder or repairer of wooden objects or structures



verb  (past and past participle car·pen·tered, present participle car·pen·ter·ing, 3rd person present singular car·pen·ters)
Definition:
 
1. intransitive verb build wooden structures: to build and repair wooden structures, or the wooden parts of them ( technical )

2. transitive verb make something wooden: to make something by cutting and joining pieces of wood
He had carpentered a series of perfectly fitting dovetail joints.

3. transitive verb make something in efficient way: to make or devise something efficiently and systematically
They met every day, in the vain attempt to carpenter an agreement that would be acceptable to both sides.

[12th century. < Anglo-Norman, Old French carpentier< late Latin carpentarius (artifex) "carriage(maker)" < carpentum "two-wheeled carriage"]
Advertisement

Also on Encarta
Englishtown: Learn English online
Our Partners
Also on MSN
Encarta Message Boards (© Rubberball/Jupiterimages)
MSN Shopping
Upgrade your Encarta experience
Encarta RSS Feeds
© 2008 Microsoft