Carve — Defs

01 v. t. To cut.

imp. & p. p. Carved; p. pr. & vb. n. Carving

1.
To cut.[Obs.]
“Or they will carven the shepherd's throat.” — Spenser.
2.
To cut, as wood, stone, or other material, in an artistic or decorative manner; to sculpture; to engrave.
“Carved with figures strange and sweet.” — Coleridge.
3.
To make or shape by cutting, sculpturing, or engraving; to form; as, to carve a name on a tree.
“An angel carved in stone.” — Tennyson.

“We carved not a line, and we raised not a stone.” — C. Wolfe.
4.
To cut into small pieces or slices, as meat at table; to divide for distribution or apportionment; to apportion.
5.
To cut: to hew; to mark as if by cutting.
“My good blade carved the casques of men.” — Tennyson.

“A million wrinkles carved his skin.” — Tennyson.
6.
To take or make, as by cutting; to provide.
“Who could easily have carved themselves their own food.” — South.
7.
To lay out; to contrive; to design; to plan.
“Lie ten nights awake carving the fashion of a new doublet.” — Shak.

“Fortunes were carved out of the property of the crown.” — Macaulay.

Phrases & compounds

To carve out — to make or get by cutting, or as if by cutting; to cut out.

02 v. i. To exercise the trade of a sculptor or carver; to engrave or cut figures.

03 n. A carucate.