a natural object that resembles or suggests a carpet
"a carpet of flowers"
"the larvae of some moths spin a web that resembles a carpet"
A fabric used as a complete floor covering.
"She carefully unrolled the new carpet to cover the entire living room floor."
In plain English: A carpet is a large piece of fabric covering the floor to make it soft and look nice.
"The soft blue carpet covered the entire living room floor."
Usage: Use "carpet" to refer specifically to a wall-to-wall fabric covering installed on a floor, distinguishing it from loose rugs or mats. Do not use it for small, movable floor coverings unless they are fixed in place like traditional wall-to-wall installations.
form a carpet-like cover (over)
"The thick moss formed a green carpet over the sun-drenched forest floor after years of rain."
To lay carpet, or to have carpet installed, in an area.
"After renovating the living room, we finally had our new plush carpet laid across the entire floor."
In plain English: To carpet something means to cover it completely with a thick layer of material, like throwing confetti everywhere.
"The storm carpeted the town with inches of snow within an hour."
Usage: Use the verb "to carpet" when describing the act of covering a floor with wall-to-wall flooring, such as a contractor carpeting a living room. Do not use it for laying down temporary rugs or runners, which are simply placed on top of existing floors.
The word "carpet" entered English in the late 13th century via Old French and Medieval Latin. It ultimately traces back to a Middle Armenian term meaning "rug," which was brought to Europe by Florentine traders from the Kingdom of Cilicia.