from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Carcass \Car"cass\ (k[aum]r"kas), n.; pl. {Carcasses}. [Written
also {carcase}.] [F. carcasse, fr. It. carcassa, fr. L. caro
flesh + capsa chest, box, case. Cf. {Carnal}, {Case} a
sheath.]
1. A dead body, whether of man or beast; a corpse; now
commonly the dead body of a beast.
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He turned to see the carcass of the lion. --Judges
xiv. 8.
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This kept thousands in the town whose carcasses went
into the great pits by cartloads. --De Foe.
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2. The living body; -- now commonly used in contempt or
ridicule. "To pamper his own carcass." --South.
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Lovely her face; was ne'er so fair a creature.
For earthly carcass had a heavenly feature.
--Oldham.
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3. The abandoned and decaying remains of some bulky and once
comely thing, as a ship; the skeleton, or the uncovered or
unfinished frame, of a thing.
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A rotten carcass of a boat. --Shak.
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4. (Mil.) A hollow case or shell, filled with combustibles,
to be thrown from a mortar or howitzer, to set fire to
buldings, ships, etc.
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A discharge of carcasses and bombshells. --W. Iving.
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