# flesh

Pronunciation: say "FLESH" /flɛʃ/

## Noun

1. The soft tissue that makes up the body, particularly muscle and fat.
   - Simple: The soft parts of the body, like muscle and fat, found under the skin.
   - _The blade sliced through skin and into the flesh beneath._
   - _Long illness had wasted his flesh until his frame looked gaunt._
2. Animal tissue eaten as food, that is, meat, though fish is sometimes excluded.
   - Simple: Animal meat eaten as food, though fish is sometimes not included.
   - _During Lent the villagers abstained from flesh and ate only bread and fish._
   - _Scavengers stripped the flesh from the carcass within hours._
3. The soft, often edible part of a fruit or vegetable, as distinct from its skin, rind, or seeds.
   - Simple: The soft inside part of a fruit or vegetable that you can eat.
   - _The avocado's pale green flesh had turned creamy and ripe._
   - _He carved away the rind to reach the watermelon's pink flesh._
4. The skin covering a human or animal body.
   - Simple: The skin that covers a person or an animal.
   - _Years in the sun had toughened the flesh on his hands._
   - _The collar had rubbed the dog's flesh raw behind the ears._
5. The human body considered as a physical entity.
   - Simple: The human body seen as a real, physical thing.
   - _Seeing the celebrated singer in the flesh left her speechless._
   - _The sculptor wanted to capture the weight and warmth of living flesh._
6. The mortal human body, contrasted with the spirit or soul.
   - Simple: The human body that can die, seen as different from the soul or spirit.
   - _He believed the soul must rule the flesh, not the other way around._
   - _At death the flesh decays while, in their belief, the soul lives on._
7. Exposed bare skin of the arms, legs, or torso.
   - Simple: Bare skin of the arms, legs, or body shown out in the open.
   - _Critics complained that the costume revealed too much flesh._
   - _On the crowded beach, sunburned flesh was on display everywhere._
8. A yellowish-pink color, like that of some pale human skin.
   - Simple: A pale pinkish color, like some light human skin.
   - _She chose a flesh tone for the doll's painted cheeks._
   - _The fabric came in a pale flesh shade that suited the portrait._
9. The evil, corrupting force at work within human nature.
   - Simple: The sinful, corrupting part of human nature.
   - _He saw every temptation as the flesh struggling against his better will._
   - _The sermon urged the faithful to crucify the flesh and follow the spirit._

## Verb

10. To scrape the residual muscle, fat, and tissue from the inner side of a hide during leather production.
   - Simple: To scrape the leftover meat and fat off an animal skin while making leather.
   - _Apprentices flesh the skins on a beam with a two-handled knife._
   - _He had fleshed dozens of hides by the end of the week._
11. To cause a person or animal to gain weight; to build up flesh by feeding.
   - Simple: To feed a person or animal so they gain weight.
   - _Months of rich feed flesh the oxen for the winter market._
   - _The steward fleshed the geese carefully before the feast._
12. To reward a hound or hawk with meat from the killed animal so as to rouse its eagerness for further hunting; to train an animal to crave flesh.
   - Simple: To give a hunting dog or hawk a taste of the kill so it wants to hunt more.
   - _Experienced falconers flesh the bird on the lure to keep it keen._
   - _He had fleshed the hounds so often that they bayed at the first scent of blood._
13. To plunge or bury something, especially a weapon, deep into living flesh.
   - Simple: To push a weapon or sharp object deep into a body.
   - _Raw recruits flesh their spears in battle for the first time._
   - _He had fleshed his sword in many a foe by then._
14. To gratify or satiate an appetite or desire to the point of excess; to gorge or glut.
   - Simple: To feed or satisfy something so fully that it wants no more.
   - _Conquerors flesh their ambition on the spoils of fallen cities._
   - _The banquet fleshed the travelers after their long journey._

## Verb

15. To accustom or habituate a person to a particular practice or way of life. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To make someone get used to a habit or practice over time.
   - _Long campaigns flesh soldiers to hardship and danger._
   - _He had been fleshed to courtly manners since childhood._

## Noun

16. Tenderness of feeling toward others; a gentle and compassionate disposition. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: Kindness and gentle feeling in a person's heart.
17. One's kindred or family line; the stock or race a person belongs to. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: The family or people that someone comes from.
   - _She would not betray her own flesh, however far they had strayed._
   - _Men of his flesh had ruled the valley for generations._

## Origin

This word comes from Middle English "flesh" (also "flesch," "flæsch") and Old English "flǣsċ," from Proto-West Germanic and Proto-Germanic "*flaiski," ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root "*pleh₁ḱ-" meaning "to tear, peel off."

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/flesh (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).