carcass

or car·case

[ kahr-kuhs ]
See synonyms for: carcasscarcasses on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. the dead body of an animal.

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

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

  2. anything from which life and power are gone: The mining town, now a mere carcass, is a reminder of a past era.

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

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

  5. 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.).

Origin of carcass

1
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

synonym study For carcass

1. See body.

Other words from carcass

  • car·cass·less, adjective

Words Nearby carcass

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use carcass in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for carcass

carcass

carcase

/ (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, usually facetious, or derogatory a person's body

  1. the skeleton or framework of a structure

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

Origin of carcass

1
C14: from Old French carcasse, of obscure origin

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012