carcase
Noun: 1. The dead body of an animal, especially one slaughtered and prepared for food: This is the primary meaning, referring to the body of a butchered animal, often with the head, feet, and internal organs removed. 2. The decaying or worthless remains of a dead body: Can refer to the corpse of any animal or, informally and disrespectfully, to a human body. 3. The framework or shell of a structure, vehicle, or object: The remaining base structure after the useful parts are gone or destroyed, such as the skeleton of a building or a burned-out vehicle.
- Noun (Animal Body):
- The butcher hung the carcase of the lamb in the cold room.
- Vultures were circling above the carcase of the dead zebra.
- Noun (Remains/Shell):
- After the fire, only the charred carcase of the car remained.
- The old factory was just an empty carcase, its windows broken and machinery gone.
- "To save one's (own) carcase": An informal, often humorous idiom meaning to save one's own life or protect oneself from harm.
- When the fight broke out, he ran to save his own carcase.
- Used attributively: The noun "carcase" can be used before another noun to describe a type of meat.
- The price of carcase beef has risen this month. (This refers to the price of the whole slaughtered animal body before it is cut into retail portions).
- Carcass: This is the more common modern spelling, especially in American English. "Carcase" is an accepted variant, but "carcass" is standard.
- Carcass meat: A commercial term for fresh, unprocessed meat from a slaughtered animal, as opposed to cured or canned meat.
- Body: (for a dead animal)
- Corpse: (for a dead body, often human)
- Remains: (what is left)
- Framework: (for a structure)
- Shell: (for a hollow structure)
- Hulk: (for a large, empty structure or vehicle)
The word often carries connotations of something being dead, empty, or useless. When referring to a slaughtered animal for food, it is a neutral, technical term in industries like butchery and agriculture. When referring to a human, it is almost always derogatory or darkly humorous. When referring to structures, it emphasizes abandonment or destruction.
- the dead body of an animal especially one slaughtered and dressed for food