What does flesh mean?
Flesh is the soft substance — muscle and fat — that lies between the skin and the bones of people and animals, and by extension it stands for the physical body itself. In everyday speech the word is largely literal: a wound may cut into flesh, and the flesh of fruit such as peaches or mangoes refers to their edible pulp. In religious and literary traditions, however, 'the flesh' takes on a deeper meaning, representing bodily appetite, weakness, and mortality in contrast to the spirit or soul — a tension captured in phrases like 'the sins of the flesh.' As a verb, flesh survives chiefly in 'to flesh out,' meaning to expand something skeletal or minimal with fuller detail, as when a writer fleshes out an outline. Rooted in Old English and closely related to Germanic words for meat, flesh remains one of English's most vivid words for embodied, physical existence.
The soft substance consisting of muscle and fat between the skin and bones of a person or animal; also, the physical body regarded as the seat of appetite and mortality; also the edible pulp of fruit.
"The surgeon's blade passed cleanly through flesh and tendon."
In religious contexts, 'the flesh' specifically contrasts with 'the spirit.'
To add substance, detail, or completeness to something (chiefly in 'flesh out'); historically, to wound or train a hawk or dog by letting it taste flesh or blood.
"He asked the intern to flesh out the proposal's budget section."
In Old English, 'flæsc' meant meat so plainly that calling someone 'flesh' was literal — yet centuries of religious writing turned it into shorthand for every human temptation.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of flesh
Flesh descends from the Old English 'flæsc,' meaning the flesh or meat of a body, and belongs to a common Germanic root seen in cognates such as Old Norse 'flǫsk' and Old High German 'fleisk' (modern German 'Fleisch'). It has been part of English since before written records in the language, making it one of the oldest continuous words in the vocabulary. Its religious sense, opposing flesh to spirit, developed through medieval Christian usage. A related but distinct word, 'flitch' (a side of cured pork), comes from the same Germanic family.
Related word forms
How flesh is actually used
Mostly neutral in register, but in religious or moral contexts 'the flesh' carries connotations of temptation and mortality, standing in deliberate opposition to 'the spirit.' The verb sense survives almost exclusively in the phrase 'flesh out,' meaning to add substance or detail.
Easily confused with flesh
'Flesh' refers to soft bodily tissue, while 'fresh' describes something new or not spoiled — they sound somewhat alike but differ in meaning and final consonant.