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carcass

 - 3 dictionary results

car⋅cass

[kahr-kuhs]
–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)
8. to erect the framework for (a building, ship, etc.).
Also, carcase.


Origin:
1250–1300; < MF carcasse < It carcassa; r. ME carkeis, carkois < AF, corresponding to ML carcosium; ult. orig. obscure


car⋅cass⋅less, adjective


1. See body.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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car·cass   (kär'kəs)   
n.  
  1. The dead body of an animal, especially one slaughtered for food.

  2. The body of a human.

  3. Remains from which the substance or character is gone: the carcass of a once glorious empire.

  4. A framework or basic structure: the carcass of a burned-out building.


[Middle English carcas, from Anglo-Norman carcais and Medieval Latin carcasium.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: car·cass
Pronunciation: 'kär-k&s
Function: noun
: a dead body : CORPSE; especially : the dressed body of a meat animal
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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