charogne

carcass, carrion

noun shah-ROHN-yuh Rare

Also means

wretch, scoundrel (insult)

Usage Note

Charogne literally means a rotting animal carcass, but it is also a strong insult comparable to 'bastard' or 'swine'. Baudelaire famously titled a poem Une Charogne, describing a decomposing body to meditate on beauty and decay. The related noun charognard names a scavenger such as a vulture.

Examples

"Les vautours se disputent la charogne."

Natural Translation

The vultures fight over the carcass.

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