Skip to content

charnel

carnal, of the flesh

adjective shar-NEL Rare

Origin: From Latin 'carnalis', of flesh.

Usage Note

Charnel refers primarily to bodily or fleshly desires and is a more literary or formal register word than sexuel. Its feminine form is charnelle. The related noun charnier (a charnel house, a mass grave) shares the same Latin root but has a very different, macabre meaning.

Examples

"Une passion charnelle les unissait."

Natural Translation

A carnal passion united them.

Free starter pack

Building your French vocabulary?

Get the 100 most common French words as a free PDF — one email, no spam.

Explore French by topic