Emily Dickinson Lexicon

CAR'PET, n. [I know not the origin of this word.]

1. A covering for floors, tables, stairs, &c. This covering is usually made of wool, wrought with a needle, or more generally in a loom, but is sometimes made of other materials. The manufacture is of Asiatic origin, but has been introduced into many parts of Europe, and into the United States.
2. Level ground covered, as with grass; as, a grassy carpet; a carpet of green grass. – Shak. Ray. To be on the carpet, is to be under consideration; to be the subject of deliberation. The French phrase, to be on the tapis, is used in the like sense. Carpet-knight, in Shakspeare, is a knight who enjoys ease and security, or luxury, and has not known the hardships of the field. Carpet-monger is used in a like sense.