carp

n.

Gaw karp; Pat, WA carpe

'talk, conversation, discourse, speech, words; message; mention' (Modern English )

Etymology

cp. OIcel karp ‘bragging’. Either directly < an ON n. or formed on carp (v.).

PGmc Ancestor

Proposed ON Etymon (OIcel representative)

karp 'bragging', karpa 'to brag, boast'
(ONP karp (sb.))

Other Scandinavian Reflexes

Icel karp

OE Cognate

Phonological and morphological markers

absence of palatalization of */k/

Summary category

A1c

Attestation

Especially in alliterative texts; see further carp (v.)

Occurrences in the Gersum Corpus

Gaw 307, 704, 1013; Pe 883; Cl 23, 1327; Pat 118, 415, 519; WA 748, 1023, 1455, etc.

See the remarks in McGee 488-9 on its replacement in some manuscripts of SJ and of Chaucer’s works. MS D of WA reads <carpyng> at 2346.

Bibliography

MED carp (n.) , OED carp (n.2) , HTOED , Dance carp (b)(n.), de Vries karp, Mag. karpa