Flesh and Meat Swapped Jobs in English
Flesh is the soft tissue of a body. It once meant food animals too, until meat took that job over.
Flesh is the soft tissue of an animal or human body, between skin and bone. English rearranged its vocabulary here: *meat* originally meant any food at all — which survives in *sweetmeat* and *mincemeat*, neither of which contains meat today — while *flesh* covered animal tissue for eating. Meat then narrowed to animal flesh, and flesh withdrew from the kitchen. *In the flesh* means in person, and *flesh out* means to add detail.
- Soft body tissue. *Cut to the flesh.*
- The pulp of fruit. *The flesh of a peach.*
- In the flesh — in person. *Seen in the flesh.*
- Flesh out — to add detail. *Flesh out the plan.*
- Meat — the word that took over. *Red meat.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | flesh | Bare flesh. |
| Adjective | fleshy | A fleshy fruit. |
| Verb | flesh out | Flesh it out. |
| Related | meat | Meat. |
| Old English | flæsc | Flesh. |
- The wound went down to the flesh.Body.
- I saw him in the flesh last week.In person.
- Sweetmeat contains no meat.The older sense.
Words where meat means food generally
- Sweetmeat — a sweet delicacy, no meat involved
- Mincemeat — dried fruit and spices, once with suet
- Meat and drink — food and drink, or something enjoyable
- Nutmeat — the edible kernel of a nut
- One man's meat is another man's poison — the old general sense
Old English *flæsc*, flesh or meat, from a Germanic root shared with German *Fleisch*, which still means both.
Why does sweetmeat contain no meat?
Because meat once meant any food. Sweetmeat kept the old sense while meat narrowed to animal flesh.
What does flesh out mean?
To add detail or substance to something outlined, like putting flesh on a skeleton.