Emily Dickinson Lexicon

CAR'CASS, n.¹ [Fr. carcasse; It. carcame; Norm. carkoys, a mast, and a carcass. Qu. Gr. καρχησιον.]

1. The body of an animal; usually the body when dead. It is not applied to the living body of the human species, except in low or ludicrous language.
2. The decaying remains of a bulky thing, as of a boat or ship.
3. The frame or main parts of a thing, unfinished or without ornament. This seems to be the primary sense of the word. [See the next word.] – Hale.