n.
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural carp or carps
Etymology: Middle English carpe, from Middle French, from Late Latin carpa, probably of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German karpfo carp
Date: 15th century
1 : a large variable Asian soft-finned freshwater cyprinid fish ( Cyprinus carpio ) of sluggish waters that is often raised for food and has been widely introduced into U.S. waters also : any of various related cyprinid fishes (as the grass carp)
2 : a fish (as the European sea bream) resembling a carp