# carrion

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈkæ.ɹɪ.ən/ · frequency rank #41,037

## Definitions
1. Rotting flesh of a dead animal or person.
2. Corrupt or horrid matter.
3. Filth, garbage.
4. The flesh of a living human body; also (Christianity), sinful human nature.
5. A dead body; a carcass, a corpse.
6. An animal which is in poor condition or worthless; also, an animal which is a pest or vermin.
7. A contemptible or worthless person.

## Etymology
The noun is derived from Middle English careine, caroigne (“dead body, corpse; animal carcass; reanimated corpse; gangrenous or rotting body or flesh; mortal nature; (derogatory) living body; (figurative) disgusting or worthless thing”), borrowed from Anglo-Norman careine, caroigne, charogne, and Old French charoigne, Northern Old French caˈronië, caroine, caroigne (modern French charogne), probably from Vulgar Latin *carōnia, from Latin caro (“flesh”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- (“to cut off, sever; to divide, separate”)) + -ia (suffix forming nouns). Doublet of crone.
The regular modern English form would be *carren, *carron /ˈkæɹən/ (this is found dialectally; see similar kyarn); the intervening /i/ is probably a hypercorrection based on the analogy of words like merlin/merlion.
The adjective is derived from the noun.

## Easily confused with
- **Carson** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/carrion-vs-carson)
- **carrot** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/carrion-vs-carrot)
- **carton** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/carrion-vs-carton)
- **cation** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/carrion-vs-cation)
- **cartoon** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/carrion-vs-cartoon)
- **caution** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/carrion-vs-caution)
- **clarion** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/carrion-vs-clarion)
- **caron** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/caron-vs-carrion)
- **carbon** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/carbon-vs-carrion)
- **Carrie** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/carrie-vs-carrion)
- **carlin** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/carlin-vs-carrion)
- **carried** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/carried-vs-carrion)
- **carrier** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/carrier-vs-carrion)
- **carries** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/carries-vs-carrion)
- **caption** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/caption-vs-carrion)
- **Carlton** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/carlton-vs-carrion)
- **Carlson** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/carlson-vs-carrion)
- **carrick** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/carrick-vs-carrion)
- **campion** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/campion-vs-carrion)

## Common misspellings (8)
`acrrion`, `carion`, `cariron`, `carrino`, `carrionn`, `carroin`, `ccarrion`, `crarion`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/carrion