Definition

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.

Usage Examples

• 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.

Advanced Usage

• "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).

Variants and Related Words

• 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.

Synonyms

• 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)

Notes on Meaning

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.

Noun

1. the dead body of an animal especially one slaughtered and dressed for food