Word Study
carrion
CIDE DICTIONARY
carrion, n. [OE. caroyne, OF. caroigne, F. charogne, LL. caronia, fr. L. caro flesh Cf. Crone, Crony.].
- The dead and putrefying body or flesh of an animal; flesh so corrupted as to be unfit for food. [1913 Webster]"They did eat the dead carrions." [1913 Webster]
- A contemptible or worthless person; -- a term of reproach. Shak. [1913 Webster]
carrion, a.
Of or pertaining to dead and putrefying carcasses; feeding on carrion. [1913 Webster]
"A prey for carrion kites." [1913 Webster]
OXFORD DICTIONARY
carrion, n. & adj.
--n.
1 dead putrefying flesh.
2 something vile or filthy.
--adj. rotten, loathsome.
--n.
1 dead putrefying flesh.
2 something vile or filthy.
--adj. rotten, loathsome.
Idiom
carrion crow a black crow, Corvus corone, native to Europe, feeding mainly on carrion. carrion flower = STAPELIA.
Etymology
ME f. AF & ONF caroine, -oigne, OF charoigne ult. f. L caro flesh
THESAURUS
carrion
ashes, bilge, bilgewater, body, bones, cadaver, carcass, caries, clay, corpse, corpus delicti, corruption, crowbait, dandruff, dead body, dead man, dead person, decay, decedent, decomposition, dishwater, ditchwater, dry bones, dry rot, dust, earth, embalmed corpse, excrement, filth, food for worms, foul matter, foulness, furfur, gangrene, garbage, late lamented, mess, mortal remains, mortification, muck, mucus, mummification, mummy, necrosis, obscenity, offal, offscourings, ordure, organic remains, pus, putrefaction, putrescence, putrid matter, putridity, putridness, rancidity, rancidness, rankness, refuse, relics, reliquiae, remains, riffraff, rot, rottenness, scum, scurf, scuz, sewage, sewerage, skeleton, slime, slop, slops, slough, smut, sphacelation, sphacelus, spoilage, stiff, swill, tenement of clay, the dead, the deceased, the defunct, the departed, the loved one, tooth decayROGET THESAURUS
carrion
Uncleanness
N uncleanness, impurity, immundity, immundicity, impurity, defilement, contamination, defoedation, soilure, soiliness, abomination, leaven, taint, tainture, fetor, decay, putrescence, putrefaction, corruption, mold, must, mildew, dry rot, mucor, rubigo, slovenry, slovenliness, squalor, dowdy, drab, slut, malkin, slattern, sloven, slammerkin, slammock, slummock, scrub, draggle-tail, mudlark, dust-man, sweep, beast, dirt, filth, soil, slop, dust, cobweb, flue, smoke, soot, smudge, smut, grit, grime, raff, sossle, sozzle, sordes, dregs, grounds, lees, argol, sediment, settlement heeltap, dross, drossiness, mother, precipitate, scoriae, ashes, cinders, recrement, slag, scum, froth, hogwash, ditchwater, dishwater, bilgewater, rinsings, cheeseparings, sweepings, offscourings, outscourings, off scum, caput mortuum, residuum, sprue, fecula, clinker, draff, scurf, scurfiness, exuviae, morphea, fur, furfur, dandruff, tartar, riffraff, vermin, louse, flea, bug, chinch, mud, mire, quagmire, alluvium, silt, sludge, slime, slush, slosh, sposh, spawn, offal, gurry, lientery, garbage, carrion, excreta, slough, peccant humor, pus, matter, suppuration, lienteria, faeces, feces, excrement, ordure, dung, crap, shit, sewage, sewerage, muck, coprolite, guano, manure, compost, dunghill, colluvies, mixen, midden, bog, laystall, sink, privy, jakes, toilet, john, head, cess, cesspool, sump, sough, cloaca, latrines, drain, sewer, common sewer, Cloacina, dust hole, sty, pigsty, lair, den, Augean stable, sink of corruption, slum, rookery, dirty, filthy, grimy, unclean, impure, soiled, not to be handled with kid gloves, dusty, snuffy, smutty, sooty, smoky, thick, turbid, dreggy, slimy, mussy, slovenly, untidy, messy, uncleanly, unkempt, sluttish, dowdy, draggle-tailed, uncombed, unscoured, unswept, unwiped, unwashed, unstrained, unpurified, squalid, lutose, slammocky, slummocky, sozzly, nasty, coarse, foul, offensive, abominable, beastly, reeky, reechy, fetid, decayed, moldy, musty, mildewed, rusty, moth-eaten, mucid, rancid, weak, bad, gone bad, etercoral, lentiginous, touched, fusty, effete, reasty, rotten, corrupt, tainted, high, flyblown, maggoty, putrid, putrefactive, putrescent, putrefied, saprogenic, saprogenous, purulent, carious, peccant, fecal, feculent, stercoraceous, excrementitious, scurfy, scurvy, impetiginous, gory, bloody, rotting, rotten as a pear, rotten as cheese, crapulous, gross, fimetarious, fimicolous, they that touch pitch will be defiled.Corpse
N corpse, corse, carcass, cadaver, bones, skeleton, dry bones, defunct, relics, reliquiae, remains, mortal remains, dust, ashes, earth, clay, mummy, carrion, food for worms, food for fishes, tenement of clay this mortal coil, shade, ghost, manes, organic remains, fossils, cadaverous, corpse-like, unburied, sapromyiophyllous.For further exploring for "carrion" in Webster Dictionary Online