Flesh definitions and example sentences on Wordnik

View all »
Definitions (48)

American Heritage Dictionary (19)

noun The soft tissue of the body of a vertebrate, covering the bones and consisting mainly of skeletal muscle and fat.
noun The surface or skin of the human body.
noun The meat of animals as distinguished from the edible tissue of fish or fowl.

16 more from this dictionary »

Century Dictionary (23)

A substance forming a large part of an animal body, consisting of the softer solids which constitute muscle and fat, as distinguished from the bones, the skin, the membranes, and the fluids; in the most restricted sense, muscular tissue alone. Flesh or muscle is composed of muscle-fibers bound together by connective tissue and made into distinct masses of definite function—the various muscles. Together with this are the requisite blood-vessels, lymphatics, and nerves. Chemically, the composition of connective and nervous tissue is here what it is elsewhere. The muscle-fiber itself contains (or readily furnishes) myosin, serum albumin or a closely related body, a globulin called myoglobulin, creatine, and small quantities of carnin, xanthine, hypoxanthine, taurin, etc. The red muscle contains, besides hemoglobin, an allied pigment called histohematin. Potassium salts and phosphates form 80 per cent. of the ash. But flessh to flessh and skyn to skyn is doo. Palladius, Hnsbondrie (E. E. T. S.), p. 104. A spirit hath not flesh and bones. Luke xxiv. 39. My beauty as the spring doth yearly grow, My flesh is soft and plump. Shak., Venus and Adonis, l. 142.
Animal food, in distinction from vegetable; in the most restricted sense, the substance of beasts and fowls used as food, as distinguished from fish. In the Lond of Palestyne and in the Lond of Egypt thei eten but lytille or non of Flessche of Veel or of Beef, but he be so old that he may no more travayle for elde; for it is forbode. Mandeville, Travels, p. 72. Eten children and men, and eten non other fleische from that tyme that thei ben acharned with mannes fleisch. Quoted in William of Palerne (E. E. T. S.), Notes, p. xxix. In the week are five days accustomably served with flesh. Privy Council (Arber's Eng. Garner, I. 304).
The body, as distinguished from the soul; the corporeal person. Almiʒty god, mercy I craue, Now lete my flesche my synnis abie! Hymns to Virgin, etc. (E. E. T. S.), p. 99. The Apostle … knew right well that the weariness of the flesh is an heavy clog to the will. Hooker, Eccles. Polity, i. 7. As if this flesh, which walls about our life, Were brass impregnable. Shak., Rich. II., iii. 2.

20 more from this dictionary »

View all »
Examples (50)

When you literally slow down Ray Allen, it's a beautiful thing, but J. Shuttlesworth in the flesh is a blur. — SLAM Online
I am watching your chest rise and fall like the tides of my life, and the rest of it all and your bones have been my bedframe and your flesh has been my pillow — AfterEllen.com - Because visibility matters
Daily News - "Getting to see this comic whiz in the flesh is a big treat, and the fact that Ferrell has been able to squeeze so many fresh yuks from the beleaguered Bush legacy speaks to his always off-kilter, sometimes raunchy, imagination." — NewYorkology
Kid-Simple, a radio play in the flesh is a quirky fable of innocence and experience, featuring live sound effects, mutinous onomatopoeia, and a host of woodsy temptations. — BroadwayWorld.com Featured Content
"For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do." — the blue fish project

More examples »

Add a related word »
Related

Used in the Same Context

skin · meat · bone · blood · body · limb · lip · hide · cheek · muscle · breast · clothe

Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary. Copyright © 2003, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Etymologies (3)

American Heritage Dictionary (1)

Middle English, from Old English flǣsc.

Century Dictionary (2)

Early modern English also fleash; from Middle English flesh, fleisch, flesc, flech, etc., often with final s, fles, flehs, fleis, etc., from Anglo-Saxon flæ¯sc (rarely flæ¯c, in glosses, later English dial, fleck) = OFries. flēsk, flāsk = Old Saxon flēsc = Dutch vleesch = Middle Low German vlēsch, Low German flecsch = Old High German fleisk, Middle High German vleisch, German fleisch, flesh. The Scandinavian forms have a special sense: Icelandic flesk = Swedish fläsk = Danish flesk, pork, bacon (the general word for ‘flesh’ being Icelandic kjöt = Swedish kött = Danish kjöd); so English meat, orig. ‘food,’ now ‘flesh food,’ tends in some localities to a special sense, ‘beef’ or ‘pork,’ as the case may be. Connections unknown. The Gothic (Moesogothic) words for ‘flesh’ were leik (literally body: see like), mimz.
from flesh, n. In the fig. use corrupted to flush: see flush.

flesh

View all »
Definitions (48)

American Heritage Dictionary (19)

Century Dictionary (23)

GNU Webster's 1913 (2)

WordNet (4)

Elsewhere on the web

View all »
Examples (50)

Tags

Stats

stop updating
On Twitter

Photos from

Add a related word »
Related

Roget's II: The New Thesaurus

Allen's Synonyms and Antonyms

Used in the Same Context

Etymologies (3)

American Heritage Dictionary (1)

Century Dictionary (2)

Pronunciations
Record your own »

Charts

Recently looked up

Recent Favorites

Recent Pronunciations

flesh

View all » Definitions (48)

View all » Examples (50)

Tags

Stats

stop updating On Twitter

Photos from

Add a related word » Related

synonyms:

cross reference:

synonyms:

Etymologies (3)

Pronunciations Record your own »

Charts

Recently looked up

Recent Favorites

Recent Pronunciations

View all »
Definitions (48)

View all »
Examples (50)

stop updating
On Twitter

Add a related word »
Related

Pronunciations
Record your own »