carcass

Noun

carcass (plural carcasses)

1. The body of a dead animal, especially a vertebrate or other animal having flesh.
   • Plate 31, figure B shows a desiccated carcass in the ventral position with a sharp S curvature in the vertebral column. Such pronounced drying-out of a carcass probably happens only when it is quickly carried to a dry place and exposed to the strong rays of the sun.1989, Johannes Weigelt, Recent Vertebrate Carcasses and Their Paleobiological Implications, page 152
   • Despite all of the groups' experiences with leopards and carcasses in trees, neither the vervets nor the baboons gave alarm calls at the sight of the carcass alone.1992, Dorothy L. Cheney, Robert M. Seyfarth, How Monkeys See the World: Inside the Mind of Another Species, page 284
2. (meat trade) The body of a slaughtered animal, stripped of unwanted viscera, etc.
   • Lean flavor scores for this muscle were lower than those for ribeye, especially in Prime grade carcasses.1961, D. M. Doty, John C. Pierce, Beef Muscle Characteristics as Related to Carcass Grade, Carcass Weight, and Degree of Aging, US Department of Agriculture, Technical Bulletin No. 1231, page 33
   • The most important is the carcass but the liver, kidneys and, to a limited extent, various other visceral components also have value as food items.[…]For example, the carcasses from sheep and cattle have the head removed immediately after slaughter but in pigs this may be delayed until after...2000, P. D. Warriss, Meat Science: An Introductory Text, page 20
3. The body of a dead human, a corpse.
   • And when their ſcattered armie is ſubdu’d: / And you march on their ſlaughtered carkaſſes, / Share equally the gold that bought their liues, / And liue like Gentlmen in Perſea, […]c. 1587–1588 (date written), [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […], 2nd edition, part 1, London: […] [R. Robinson for] Richard Iones, […], published 1592, →OCLC...
   • And the carkeiſes of this people ſhall be meate for the fowles of the heauen, and for the beaſts of the earth, and none ſhall fray them away.1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Jeremiah 7:33, column 1
4. (slang) The body of a live person or animal.
   • A Churliſh Envious Curr vvas gotten into a Manger, and there lay Growling and Snarling to keep the Horſes from their Provender. The Dog Eat None himſelf, and yet rather Ventur'd the Starving his Own Carcaſe then he would ſuffer any thing elfe to be the Better for't.1692, Roger L’Estrange, “[The Fables of Æsop, &c.] Fab[le] LXXVI. A Dog in a Manger.”, in Fables, of Æsop and Other Eminent Mythologists: […], London: […] R[ichard] Sare, […], →OCLC, page 75
   • "If you saw the care she takes over hoisting her beastly old carcass up and down those stairs, you could make a sure bet against her having another accident there."1950, Norman Lindsay, Dust or Polish?, Sydney: Angus and Robertson, page 165
5. The framework of a structure, such as a cabinet, especially one not normally seen.
   • The tyres used on DC-8s have a tread portion that contains three fabric re-enforcing layers. These layers protect the tyre carcass to some extent against foreign object damage. A tyre tread, however, does not contribute to the carcass integrity^([sic]); even when a tyre is worn to the third fabric...1993 June, Presidency of Civil Aviation of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, “1.16.5 Wear Characteristics of Aviation Tyres”, in McDonnell-Douglas DC-8-61, C-GMXQ, accident at King Abdulaziz International...
6. An early incendiary ship-to-ship projectile consisting of an iron shell filled with saltpetre, sulphur, resin, turpentine, antimony and tallow with vents for flame.