Home › Glossary › Letter C

carrion

Archaic Terms
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

The decaying flesh of dead animals; anything morally corrupt, vile, or worthless, often used metaphorically to describe putrid or loathsome things.

Detailed Definition
“Carrion” symbolizes corruption, death, and moral decay. In poetry, it appears in battlefield, plague, or hellish imagery to evoke disgust or divine judgment. Shakespeare uses it for insults (“carrion comfort”); Milton for infernal landscapes. Its visceral horror makes it potent in allegory, where physical rot mirrors spiritual degradation, reinforcing themes of transience and sin.
Example
Example in poetry:
"The carrion crow feasted on the slain," in a battlefield elegy; In Shakespeare’s King Lear: "Carrion comfort, comfort me not!"; Milton compares corrupt clergy to "carrion priests"; "Leave me not to carrion thoughts," pleads the tempted soul; "The carrion stench of betrayal filled the hall"; Wolves and ravens gathered round the carrion knight.
Additional Notes
“Carrion” symbolizes decay, death, and moral corruption; in poetic imagery, it contrasts with purity or life (e.g., “carrion comfort” in Hopkins), and scavengers feeding on carrion often represent opportunism or divine judgment.
Also Known As
dead flesh rotting flesh corpse
Skip to main content