CARCASS


Meaning of CARCASS in English

I. ˈkärkəs, ˈkȧk- noun

( -es )

Etymology: Middle French carcasse, alteration of Old French carcois, perhaps from carquois, carquais quiver, alteration of tarquais, from Medieval Latin tarcasius, from Arabic tarkāsh, from Persian tīrkash, from tīr arrow (from Old Persian tigra pointed) + -kash bearing (from kashīdan to pull, draw, from Avestan karsh- ); akin to Greek stizein to tattoo and to Sanskrit karṣati he pulls, draws — more at stick

1.

a. : a dead body of a human being or an animal : corpse

b. of a slaughtered animal : the trunk after the hide, head, feet, edible organs, and offal have been removed : the dressed body

2. : the living, material, or physical body

3.

a. : the decaying or corroding remains (as the framework or skeleton) of a structure

carcasses of old cars lay rusting among the trees — Calvin Kentfield

b. : a thing from which vitality, soul, or essence is gone : shell , husk

the mere carcass of nobility — William Shenstone

4. : the framework about which or upon which a structure is built: as

a. : the shell of a building

b. : an uncovered, undecorated, or unfinished framework (as of a piece of furniture)

c.

(1) : the foundation structure of a pneumatic tire consisting of several superimposed layers of cord fabric insulated in rubber

(2) : a worn rubber tire still capable of useful service when recapped

d. : the cover or the cover and bladder of an inflated or inflatable ball

5. : a hollow case or shell filled with combustibles and thrown from a mortar or howitzer and formerly used to set fire to buildings, ships, or fortifications

II. transitive verb

( -ed/-ing/-es )

: to erect the framework of (a structure)

Webster's New International English Dictionary.      Новый международный словарь английского языка Webster.