carcass: Meaning and Definition of

car•cass

Pronunciation: (kär'kus), [key]
— n.
  1. the dead body of an animal.
  2. the body of a human being, whether living or dead.
  3. the body of a slaughtered animal after removal of the offal.
  4. anything from which life and power are gone: The mining town, now a mere carcass, is a reminder of a past era.
  5. an unfinished framework or skeleton, as of a house or ship.
  6. the body of a furniture piece designed for storage, as a chest of drawers or wardrobe, without the drawers, doors, hardware, etc.
  7. the inner body of a pneumatic tire, resisting by its tensile strength the pressure of the air within the tire, and protected by the tread and other parts.
—v.t.
  1. to erect the framework for (a building, ship, etc.).
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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