carrion

Meaning

Noun

1. (uncountable, usually) Rotting flesh of a dead animal or person.
2. (figuratively, uncountable, usually) Corrupt or horrid matter.
3. (figuratively, obsolete, uncountable, usually) Filth, garbage.
4. (derogatory, figuratively, obsolete, uncountable, usually) The flesh of a living human body; also (Christianity), sinful human nature.
5. (countable, obsolete, uncountable, usually) A dead body; a carcass, a corpse.
6. (countable, figuratively, obsolete, uncountable, usually) An animal which is in poor condition or worthless; also, an animal which is a pest or vermin.
7. (countable, derogatory, figuratively, obsolete, uncountable, usually) A contemptible or worthless person.

Adj

1. (derogatory) Pertaining to, or made up of, rotting flesh.
2. (figuratively) Disgusting, horrid, rotten.
3. (derogatory, figuratively) Of the living human body, the soul, etc.: fleshly, mortal, sinful.
4. (obsolete) Very thin; emaciated, skeletonlike.
5. (obsolete) Of or pertaining to death.

Synonyms

carcass

corpse

cadaver

dead flesh

offal

raw flesh

roadkill

rotten

stiff

vile

the dead body of an animal

dog’s-meat

animal remains

decaying flesh

ket

body

dead corpse

carcase

corse

crow

dead body

loathsome

Translations

charogne

Aas

carroña

carogna

kreng

aas

carniça

leş

Kadaver

ψοφίμι

carronya

cadaver

kadaver

κουφάρι

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈkæ.ɹɪ.ən/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: careine

Cognate with French: charogne

In summary

The noun is derived from Middle English careine, caroigne (“dead body, corpse; animal carcass; reanimated corpse; gangrenous or rotting body or flesh; mortal nature; (derogatory) living body; (figurative) disgusting or worthless thing”), borrowed from Anglo-Norman careine, caroigne, charogne, and Old French charoigne, Northern Old French caˈronië, caroine, caroigne (modern French charogne), probably from Vulgar Latin *carōnia, from Latin caro (“flesh”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- (“to cut off, sever; to divide, separate”)) + -ia (suffix forming nouns). Doublet of crone.
The regular modern English form would be *carren, *carron /ˈkæɹən/ (this is found dialectally; see similar kyarn); the intervening /i/ is probably a hypercorrection based on the analogy of words like merlin/merlion.
The adjective is derived from the noun.