# carpenter

Pronunciation: US say "KAR-puhn-tur" /ˈkɑɹpəntɚ/; UK say "KAR-puhn-tuh" /ˈkɑː.pən.tə/

## Noun

1. A skilled tradesperson who cuts and joins timber to put up buildings and other structures.
   - Simple: A person whose job is building things from wood, like houses, stairs, and furniture.
   - _We hired a carpenter to frame the new addition on the house._
   - _Her grandfather worked as a carpenter on housing projects across the state._
3. A large bee that bores nesting tunnels into wood; a carpenter bee.
   - Simple: A big bee that digs tunnels in wood to make its nest.
   - _A big black carpenter hovered near the deck, then disappeared into a round hole in the railing._
   - _Every spring, carpenters bore fresh tunnels into the shed's unpainted boards, leaving little piles of sawdust below._
4. A senior rating responsible for all the woodwork aboard a ship; in the age of sail, a warrant officer in charge of the hull, masts, spars, and boats.
   - Simple: A crew member whose job is to take care of all the wooden parts of a ship.
   - _The carpenter sounded the well each watch to check whether the ship was taking on water._
   - _Before the frigate left port, the carpenter inspected every mast and spar for rot._
5. A woodlouse, a small land crustacean with a segmented shell, found under stones and rotting wood. *(dialectal, British, Canada)*
   - Simple: A small gray animal with many legs that lives in damp places under stones and old wood.
   - _When she lifted the flagstone, dozens of carpenters scuttled away into the damp soil._
   - _A single carpenter crept along the skirting board of the damp old cottage._
6. A horse-drawn carriage with two wheels.
   - Simple: A cart with two wheels, pulled by a horse, that people ride in.
   - _Their carpenter swayed on its two wheels as the mare trotted over the rough road._
   - _Visitors arrived at the fair in carpenters and larger four-wheeled coaches alike._

## Verb

2. To work as a carpenter, cutting and joining timber; to build or make something by carpentry.
   - Simple: To make or build things out of wood.
   - _Volunteers carpentered sturdy ramps for the community center entrance._
   - _After retiring, he still likes to carpenter on weekends._

## Origin

English took this from Anglo-Norman 'carpenter' (compare Old French 'charpentier'), from Late Latin 'carpentārius' meaning a carpenter, which earlier in Latin meant a wagon- or carriage-maker. It goes back to Latin 'carpentum' (a two-wheeled carriage or cart), from Gaulish 'carbantos' and Proto-Celtic *karbantos ('chariot'), probably related to *karros ('wagon'). It replaced the native Old English 'trēowwyrhta', literally 'tree worker'.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/carpenter (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).