carcass

or car·case

[ kahr-kuhs ]

/ ˈkɑr kəs /

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See synonyms for: carcass / carcasses on Thesaurus.com

noun

the dead body of an animal.

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

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

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

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

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

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)

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

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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

synonym study for carcass

1. See body.

OTHER WORDS FROM carcass

car·cass·less, adjective

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

How to use carcass in a sentence

This means a decline in habitat quality for grazers like bison and elk, whose winter-killed carcasses grizzlies feed upon.
What It Takes to Kill a Grizzly Bear|Doug Peacock|November 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Some bison die during the violence of the rut in August; there is intense competition by bears for these rare summer carcasses.
What It Takes to Kill a Grizzly Bear|Doug Peacock|November 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Carcasses and wolf-kills are a dangerous food source for young bears and their mothers.
What It Takes to Kill a Grizzly Bear|Doug Peacock|November 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And with so many pigs dying, farms have been challenged to try to find hygienic ways to dispose of the carcasses.
Aporkalypse Now: Pig-Killing Virus Could Mean the End of Bacon|Carrie Arnold|August 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST

“We carved out the carcasses and I preserved the skins,” says Kaye.
Edible Taxidermy: It’s a Good Thing|Lizzie Crocker|August 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Their slain shall be cast forth, and out of their carcasses shall rise a stink: the mountains shall be melted with their blood.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various
But I reckon we'll have to take these two carcasses along as a sort of corroborative evidence.
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair
Still the host pressed on, though, far back as eye might scan, the carcasses and the crows marked out the line of marching.
God Wills It!|William Stearns Davis
I found them asleep in a bunch o' cedars, with our nice tent stretched over their thievin' carcasses.
Si Klegg, Book 2 (of 6)|John McElroy
It was no small job to skin the carcasses and prepare the meat.
Left on the Labrador|Dillon Wallace

British Dictionary definitions for carcass

carcass

carcase

/ (ˈkɑːkəs) /

noun

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

informal, usually facetious, or derogatory a person's body

the skeleton or framework of a structure

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

Word Origin for carcass

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

carcass

or car·case

Origin of carcass

synonym study for carcass

OTHER WORDS FROM carcass

Words related to carcass

How to use carcass in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for carcass

carcase

Word Origin for carcass