the soft substance of a human or other animal body, consisting of muscle and fat.

muscular and fatty tissue.

this substance or tissue in animals, viewed as an article of food, usually excluding fish and sometimes fowl; meat.

fatness; weight.

the body, esp. as distinguished from the spirit or soul

The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.

the physical or animal nature of humankind as distinguished from its moral or spiritual nature

the needs of the flesh.

humankind.

living creatures generally.

a person's family or relatives.

Botany . the soft, pulpy portion of a fruit, vegetable, etc., as distinguished from the core, skin, shell, etc.

the surface of the human body; skin

A person with tender flesh should not expose it to direct sunlight.

flesh color.

to plunge (a weapon) into the flesh.

Hunting . to feed (a hound or hawk) with flesh in order to make it more eager for the chase. Compare blood ( def. 16 ) .

to incite and accustom (persons) to bloodshed or battle by an initial experience.

to inflame the ardor or passions of by a foretaste.

to overlay or cover (a skeleton or skeletal frame) with flesh or with a fleshlike substance.

to give dimension, substance, or reality to (often fol. by out )

The playwright fleshed out the characters.

to remove adhering flesh from (hides), in leather manufacture.

Archaic . to satiate with flesh or fleshly enjoyments; surfeit; glut. ?

in the flesh

present and alive before one's eyes; in person

The movie star looked quite different in the flesh.

pound of flesh, something that strict justice demands is due

but can only be paid with great loss or suffering to the payer.

press the flesh, Informal . to shake hands

as with voters while campaigning

The senator is busy as ever pressing the flesh on the campaign trail.

adjective

angular , bony , gaunt , lank , lanky , lean , meager , rawboned , scrawny , skinny , slender , slim , spare , twiggy , weedy