Carpentry
/ˈkɑːr.pən.tri/noun
The craft or trade of making and repairing wooden structures and objects.
Did you know?Carpentry ultimately comes from Latin *carpentarius*, meaning “maker of a *carpentum*,” a wheeled vehicle, so the word’s deepest roots are about building vehicles before buildings.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*kerp-
“to gather, pluck, or harvest”
Latin
Latin
carpere
“to pluck, gather, seize”
Latin
Latin
carpentum
“a covered two-wheeled wagon or carriage”
Latin
Latin
carpentarius
“wagon-maker; one who makes carpentums”
Old French
Old French
carpentier
“a carpenter or woodworker”
Middle English
English
carpenterie
“the craft of a carpenter; woodwork”
Modern English
English
carpentry
“the trade or work of a carpenter”