/ fleʃ; NAmE / noun , verb
■ noun
1.
[ U ] the soft substance between the skin and bones of animal or human bodies :
The trap had cut deeply into the rabbit's flesh.
Tigers are flesh-eating animals.
the smell of rotting flesh
2.
[ U ] the skin of the human body :
His fingers closed around the soft flesh of her arm.
flesh-coloured (= the colour of white people's skin)
3.
[ U ] the soft part of fruit and vegetables, especially when it is eaten
—picture at peach
4.
the flesh [ sing. ] ( literary ) the human body when considering its physical and sexual needs, rather than the mind or soul :
the pleasures / sins of the flesh
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IDIOMS
- flesh and blood
- your (own) flesh and blood
- in the flesh
- make your flesh creep
- put flesh on (the bones of) sth
—more at pound noun , press verb , spirit noun , thorn , way noun
■ verb
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PHRASAL VERBS
- flesh sth out
••
WORD ORIGIN
Old English flǣsc , of Germanic origin; related to Dutch vlees and German Fleisch .