carve

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. v. To divide into pieces by cutting; slice: carved a roast.
2. v. To divide by parceling out: carve up an estate.
3. v. To cut into a desired shape; fashion by cutting: carve the wood into a figure.
4. v. To make or form by or as if by cutting: carve initials in the bark; carved out an empire.
5. v. To decorate by cutting and shaping carefully.
6. v. To engrave or cut figures as an art, hobby, or trade.
7. v. To disjoint, slice, and serve meat or poultry.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. To cut with an edged tool or sharp instrument.
2. Specifically — To cut into pieces or slices, as meat at table; divide by cutting, or, figuratively, by parceling out: as, to carve a fowl; to carve up an estate.
3. To cut (some solid material) in order to produce the representation of an object or a design; fashion by cutting: as, to carve a block of marble into a statue.
4. To produce by cutting; form by cutting or hewing; grave or engrave; sculpture: as, to carve an image; to carve a design in boxwood.
5. To decorate by carving; produce cut or sculptured designs upon: as, to carve, a capital; to carve a cherry-stone.
6. To mark as with carving.
7. To carve out. To make or form by carving or parceling; cut out: as, to carve out a smaller estate from a larger one.
8. Figuratively, to achieve by exertion or skill: as, to carve out a career for one's self.
9. To exercise the trade of a carver; engrave or cut figures.
10. To cut up meat: as, to carve for all the guests.
11. To carve for one's self, to do as one pleases; act independently.
12. To grow sour; curdle: said of cream.
13. n. See carue.
14. To make a private sign to, at table. See II., 3.
15. To make a private sign with the little finger at table, as when one carves (def. II., 2) or pretends to carve, or raises a glass to one's lips.

Wiktionary

1. v. archaic To cut.
2. v. To cut meat in order to serve it.
3. v. To shape to sculptural effect.
4. v. snowboarding To perform a series of turns without pivoting, so that the tip and tail of the snowboard take the same path.
5. v. figuratively To produce something using skill.
6. n. obsolete A carucate.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. v. obsolete To cut.
2. v. To cut, as wood, stone, or other material, in an artistic or decorative manner; to sculpture; to engrave.
3. v. To make or shape by cutting, sculpturing, or engraving; to form.
4. v. To cut into small pieces or slices, as meat at table; to divide for distribution or apportionment; to apportion.
5. v. To cut: to hew; to mark as if by cutting.
6. v. To take or make, as by cutting; to provide.
7. v. To lay out; to contrive; to design; to plan.
8. v. To exercise the trade of a sculptor or carver; to engrave or cut figures.
9. v. To cut up meat.
10. n. obsolete A carucate.

WordNet 3.0

1. v. cut to pieces
2. v. engrave or cut by chipping away at a surface
3. v. form by carving