n.
- a floor covering made from thick woven fabric.
▸a large rug.
- a thick or soft expanse or layer:
a carpet of bluebells.
- used in names of geometrid moths with variegated wings.
v.
(carpets, carpeting, carpeted)
- cover with a carpet.
- Brit. informal reprimand severely.
Phrase
- on the carpet
informal being severely reprimanded by someone in authority.
[from carpet referring to the covering of the table before which one would be summoned for reprimand.]
- sweep something under the carpet
conceal or ignore a problem or difficulty in the hope that it will be forgotten.
Derivative
Etymology
ME (denoting a thick fabric used as a cover for a table or bed): from OFr. carpite or med. L. carpita, from obs. Ital. carpita ‘woollen counterpane’, based on L. carpere ‘pluck, pull to pieces’.