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| car·pen·ter [ krpəntər ] |
noun (plural car·pen·ters) |
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| Definition: |
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builder of wooden structures: a builder or repairer of wooden objects or structures
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verb (past and past participle car·pen·tered, present participle car·pen·ter·ing, 3rd person present singular car·pen·ters) |
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| Definition: |
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1. intransitive verb build wooden structures: to build and repair wooden structures, or the wooden parts of them
(
technical
)
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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.
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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.
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| [12th century. < Anglo-Norman, Old French carpentier< late Latin carpentarius (artifex) "carriage(maker)" < carpentum "two-wheeled carriage"] |
