v. (wk.)
Gaw infin. karp; pres. 3 sg. carppez; Pe infin. carpe, past 3 sg. carped; Cl pres. 3 sg. carpes, carpez; Erk infin. carpe; WA infin. carpe, pres. 2 sg. carpis, pres. 3 sg. carpis, carps, pres. pl. carpis, past sg. carpid, pp. carped
'to speak, say, converse'
(Modern English carp)cp. OIcel karpa ‘to brag, boast’. The ulterior etymology of this word is obscure. The difference in sense between the ME and ON may be the result of bleaching (although it has also been suggested that more specific sense is a later Scandinavian development: see MED), and the possiblility of influence from Lat capere 'to pluck, gather', fig. 'to carp at, villify' cannot be ruled out, but seems unlikely (see further OED and DMLBS s.v.).
PGmc Ancestor
Proposed ON Etymon (OIcel representative)
karpa 'to brag, boast'
(ONP karpa (CV))
Other Scandinavian Reflexes
Icel karpa, Sw dial karpa
OE Cognate
Phonological and morphological markers
absence of palatalization of */k/
Summary category
A1c
From c1250; fairly widespread, but especially N and E, and in alliterative texts of all dial; MnE Sc. and Lan.
Occurrences in the Gersum Corpus
Gaw 263, 360, 377 etc.; Pe 381, 752, 949; Cl 74, 1591; Erk 317; WA 8, 100, 108 etc.