sculpt

C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities

US /skʌlpt/ UK /skʌlpt/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

verb
to carve, model, or shape into a three-dimensional form

The artist sculpted a figure of the dancer from marble.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to carve, model, or shape... carve model shape mold chisel fashion form

Word family

Forms sculptors

Derived forms sculptingsculpted

Related forms sculptor sculpturesculptural

Etymology

Late 19th-century back-formation from 'sculptor' or 'sculpture', from Latin 'sculpere' ('to carve, chisel').

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities

External links

# sculpt

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** /skʌlpt/
**IPA (UK):** /skʌlpt/

## Meanings
1. to carve, model, or shape into a three-dimensional form

## Examples
- The artist sculpted a figure of the dancer from marble.

## Synonyms
- carve
- model
- shape
- mold
- chisel
- fashion
- form

## Derived Forms
- sculpting
- sculpted

## Related Forms
- sculptor
- sculpture
- sculptural

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: sculpere

## Etymology
Late 19th-century back-formation from 'sculptor' or 'sculpture', from Latin 'sculpere' ('to carve, chisel').

## AI Etymology
Sculpt is a late 19th-century back-formation from 'sculptor' or 'sculpture', from Latin 'sculpere' ('to carve, chisel'). The historical chain includes Latin sculpere. The quoted older senses, "sculptor", "sculpture", "sculpere", and "to carve, chisel", supply the semantic anchors for sculpt. The formation is best read as borrowed: the word sculpt carries its older form-history into a compact English lexical shape. In present English it is used as a verb, "to carve, model, or shape into a three-dimensional form". English derivatives include sculpting and sculpted; related English forms include sculptor, sculpture, and sculptural. The result is a verb whose etymology preserves both the older form and the later English specialization.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities

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