Floor covering material, typically made of woven fabric, that covers a large area of a room. The act or process of installing such floor covering.
From Old French 'carpite' meaning a thick cloth, ultimately from Latin 'carpere' meaning to pluck or card wool. The word evolved from describing the process of preparing wool fibers to the finished textile product used as floor covering.
Interestingly, the phrase 'to be on the carpet' meaning to be reprimanded comes from the practice of calling servants to stand on the ornate carpet in front of their master's desk for scolding. Modern wall-to-wall carpeting didn't become popular until the 1950s when synthetic fibers made it affordable for average households.
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