carcass

American  

[kahr-kuhs] / ˈkɑr kəs /

Or carcase

noun

1. the dead body of an animal.

2. Slang. the body of a human being, whether living or dead.

3. the body of a slaughtered animal after removal of the offal.

4. anything from which life and power are gone.

   The mining town, now a mere carcass, is a reminder of a past era.

5. an unfinished framework or skeleton, as of a house or ship.

6. the body of a furniture piece designed for storage, as a chest of drawers or wardrobe, without the drawers, doors, hardware, etc.

7. the inner body of a pneumatic tire, resisting by its tensile strength the pressure of the air within the tire, and protected by the tread and other parts.

---

verb (used with object)

1. to erect the framework for (a building, ship, etc.).

carcass British  

/ ˈkɑːkəs /

noun

1. the dead body of an animal, esp one that has been slaughtered for food, with the head, limbs, and entrails removed

2. informal a person's body

3. the skeleton or framework of a structure

4. the remains of anything when its life or vitality is gone; shell

---

Related Words

See body.

Other Word Forms

• carcassless adjective

Etymology

Origin of carcass

First recorded in 1250–1300; from Middle French carcasse, from Italian carcassa; replacing Middle English carkeis, carkois, from Anglo-French, corresponding to Medieval Latin carcosium; ultimately origin obscure

Example Sentences

At the moment, there were seven other Elders focused on prep work—dicing vegetables for stew, carving meat off carcasses.

From Literature

JBS has been working to temper its losses by efficiently harvesting meat from carcasses and expanding production of higher-end cuts of beef at its smaller plants.

From The Wall Street Journal

For decades, mole catchers in the countryside have hung their carcasses on fences to be counted for payment and as evidence of their trapping prowess.

From BBC

Some birds traveled up to 155 kilometers in a single day, flying in direct paths toward places where a carcass was likely to appear, even though the exact timing of a kill cannot be predicted.

From Science Daily

Dad had hitched Siren and Stentor to the rock sled, so they’d be ready to drag the carcasses up to the fire.

From Literature

Related Words

• frame
• framework
• hulk
• skeleton
• structure