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.

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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

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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

They are predators and scavengers, similar in some ways to birds of prey, and play an important role in cleaning up carcasses.

From Science Daily

Police discovered the defendant had previously been employed as a "skilled butcher", and her work involved "deboning, and portioning out turkey carcasses using a large knife".

From BBC

Using carcass counts, the researchers estimated that more than 7,000 adult penguins were killed during the four year study period.

From Science Daily

Some of the deer meat will go to feed endangered California condors on the mainland, while some carcasses will be left on the land — potential meals for bald eagles and foxes.

From Los Angeles Times

But the precise nature of the spear and the carcass are never directly investigated, and a surprising number of pages go by in which they are barely mentioned.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• frame
• framework
• hulk
• skeleton
• structure