Emily Dickinson Lexicon

carnation (-s), n. [L. carn-em, flesh.] (webplay: flower).

Dianthus plant; fragrant flower; blossom with fringed petals; pink bloom with a sweet cinnamon smell.

carnival (-s), n. [It. < L. carnem levare, putting away of flesh (or food), originally proper to the eve of Ash Wednesday.]

1. Party; circus; gathering; accumulation.
2. Festival; public revelry; Mardi Gras; Shrove Tuesday; Catholic celebration before Lent; last feast before the beginning of an abstinence from eating meat; [fig.] joyfulness; exuberance; [word play on “carne” = 'meat' in Latinate languages] incarnation; flesh.

carol, n. [OFr caroler < Greek-Latin chorus; possibly L. corolla, little crown, coronet, garland.]

Song; lyric hymn; song of joy; melody of praise; [fig.] poetry; rhymed verse.

carol (-led), v. [see carol, n.]

Warble while walking; sing while dancing in a circle; vocalize in a joyous manner while moving around.

carp, n. [OFr carpe.]

Complainer; critic; backbiter; person who constantly finds fault.

carpenter (-s), n. [AngloFr < late L. carpentari-us, carriage maker < carpent-um, two-wheeled chariot.] (webplay: art, build, builder, houses, man).

1. Artificer; craftsman; framer; woodworker; builder of houses; constructor of ships; one who works in timber; (see Mark 6:3).
2. Undertaker; coffin builder; casket maker; funeral director; [fig.] Savior; Redeemer; Lord Jesus Christ.

Carrara, proper n. [L. quadraria, quarry; or Celtic kaer, stone, rocky cliff.]

Marble; hard smooth white rock; stone from Tuscany, Italy (see ED letters); [fig.] death; rigor mortis; pale ghostly countenance.

carriage (-s), n. [ONFr. < mod. Fr. charrier, carry.]

1. Hearse; funeral coach; small wagon drawn by horses; four-wheeled vehicle which carries passengers.
2. Vehicle; motorized conveyance; mode of transportation.

carry (carried, carries, -ing), v. [ONFr. < late L. carricare, to cart, convey in a car; see car, n.] (webplay: break, cart, face, far, feet, first, frost, gain, go, gun, head, high, holds, kill, lead, mind, near, place, self, strength, time, through, up, wagon).

1. Take; maintain in thought; keep in mind.
2. Bear; convey; transport; move while supporting.
3. Assume; adopt; take on; have as a position.
4. Phrase. “carry in”: deliver; capture; bring within; cause to enter.

cart (-s), n. [OE cræt, related to MHG kratte, basket, hamper.] (webplay: carrying, hay).

1. Two-wheeled vehicle; conveyance drawn either by man or animal; small wagon used in farming to carry heavy loads.
2. Mode of transportation; [metonymy] freight; cargo; [metaphor] body; life; moving principle.