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

The secretary, who has said he follows a carnivore diet, has lauded food companies that use beef tallow, the melted-down fatty tissue of cattle carcasses, instead of seed oils.

From The Wall Street Journal

Pictures showing the carcass of a Sumatran elephant, another critically endangered species, being swept away by floods in Aceh in northern Sumatra went viral on social media last week.

From BBC

The researchers suggest that these young eagles could be taking advantage of seasonal food bonanzas such as spawning salmon, nesting waterfowl, or carcasses of large mammals.

From Science Daily

Soutine’s idea was to return to the abattoir for a bucket of blood and toss it over the carcass, restoring its original hue.

From The Wall Street Journal

"It was attracted to the outside of the carcass in a fluke event of preservation."

From Science Daily

Related Words

• frame
• framework
• hulk
• skeleton
• structure