coroner
UK /ˈkɒ.ɹə.nə(ɹ)/ · US /ˈkɔɹ.ə.nɚ/ noun
Forms coroners
- noun (Commonwealth, Ireland, Japan, law) A public official who presides over an inquest into unnatural deaths, and who may have (or historically had) additional powers such as investigating cases of treasure trove. “The coroner confirmed the cause of death.”
- noun (Canada, US, medicine) A medical doctor who performs autopsies and determines time and cause of death from a scientific standpoint. “A report from the coroner was presented in court.”
- noun (Isle of Man) The administrative head of a sheading.
Synonyms
Etymology
From Middle English coroner, from Old French curuner, from Medieval Latin custōs placitōrum corōnae (“guardian of the crown's pleas”). The function was originally to protect royal properties. Compare crowner. Doublet of crown.
Webster’s 1913
- noun An officer of the peace whose principal duty is to inquire, with the help of a jury, into the cause of any violent, sudden or mysterious death, or death in prison, usually on sight of the body and at the place where the death occurred. [In England formerly also written and pronounced crowner.]
Etymology [From OE. coronen to crown, OF. coroner, fr. L. coronare, fr. corona crown. Formed as a translation of LL. coronator coroner, fr. L. corona crown, the coroner having been originally a prosecuting officer of the crown. See Crown.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “coroner”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details