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dépouille

remains, mortal remains

noun deh-POO-yuh Rare

Origin: From dépouiller (to strip, to skin), from Latin despoliare.

Also means

spoils, skin (of an animal)

Usage Note

Dépouille in the singular most commonly appears in the phrase la dépouille mortelle, meaning 'the mortal remains' of a deceased person. In the plural, les dépouilles refers to spoils of war or the skin/hide stripped from an animal. Dépouiller as a verb means both to strip (of assets) and to count (ballot papers: dépouiller les urnes).

Examples

"On veille la dépouille du défunt."

Natural Translation

The remains of the deceased are being watched over.

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