flesh
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.the soft parts of the body between the skin and the bones, mostly muscle and fat.
n.the soft substance of a human or animal body, consisting primarily of skeletal muscle and adipose tissue.
Simple“The arrow had pierced the flesh of his shoulder but missed the bone.”
In context“The surgeon carefully retracted the layers of flesh to expose the underlying vascular structure during the emergency procedure.”
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.the soft part of a fruit or vegetable that you can eat.
n.the pulpy, edible part of a fruit or vegetable, distinct from the skin, seeds, or core.
Simple“Cut the melon in half and scoop out the sweet orange flesh.”
In context“The recipe requires you to roast the eggplant until the flesh is tender enough to be mashed into a smooth paste.”
- 03 C1 Advanced
n.the human body and its physical desires, often compared to the mind or soul.
n.the physical or mortal aspect of humanity, frequently contrasted with the spiritual or intellectual components.
Simple“The monk believed that the spirit was strong but the flesh was weak.”
In context“In many theological traditions, the flesh represents the site of worldly temptation and the transient nature of mortal existence.”
- 04 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.the surface of the human body; your skin.
n.the surface or skin of a human being, often used when describing sensation or appearance.
Simple“She felt the cold wind against her bare flesh.”
In context“The silk fabric felt incredibly smooth against his flesh, a stark contrast to the rough wool he usually wore.”
- 05 C2 Proficiency
v.to take the meat or fat off a skin or hide.
v.to strip the flesh or fat from a hide during the tanning or leather-making process.
Simple“The hunter used a sharp knife to flesh the deer hide before drying it.”
In context“Properly fleshing the pelt is a critical step in taxidermy to ensure the skin does not rot during the curing process.”
“For centuries we’ve tended to separate mind from body, as though thoughts somehow floated free of the flesh that produced them.”
“On Monday, the attacker’s father told the Guardian he still did not understand why his son did it, but was left to reckon with the violence his own flesh and blood had committed.”
From Middle English flesh, flesch, flæsch, from Old English flǣsċ, from Proto-West Germanic flaiski, from Proto-Germanic flaiski, from Proto-Indo-European *pleh₁ḱ- (“to tear, peel off”). Cognates Cognate with Yola vleash, vlesh (“flesh”), North Frisian flaasch, flaosk, Fleesk, fleäsk, floask, flääsk, flååsch (“flesh, meat”), Saterland Frisian Flaask (“flesh, meat”), West Frisian fleis (“flesh, meat”), Cimbrian blòas, vlaisch, vlòas (“flesh, meat”), Dutch vlees, vleesch (“flesh, meat”), German Fleisch (“flesh, meat”), German Low German and Luxembourgish Fleesch (“flesh, meat”), Vilamovian fłaś (“meat; muscle”), Yiddish פֿלייש (fleysh, “flesh, meat”), Danish flæsk (“pork; bacon”), Faroese, Icelandic, and Norwegian Nynorsk flesk (“pork; bacon”), Swedish fläsk (“pork”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.