corpse
UK /kɔːps/ · US /koɹps/ noun, verb
Forms corpses corpsing corpsed corps corse
- noun A dead body, especially that of a human as opposed to an animal.
- noun The dead body of any animal with flesh; the dead body of a vertebrate; a carcass.
- noun (archaic, sometimes derogatory) A human body in general, whether living or dead.
- verb (intransitive, slang, of an actor) To laugh uncontrollably during a performance.
- verb (transitive, slang, of an actor) To cause another actor to do this.
Synonyms
bod body bones flesh carcass likam quarrons soma anatomy cadaver carrion corse DB dog meat dust lich offal relics reliquiae remains stiff clay
Etymology
From Middle English, from earlier corse, from Old French cors, from Latin corpus (“body”).
Displaced native English likam and lich. The ⟨p⟩ was inserted due to the original Latin spelling. Doublet of corps and corpus, and distantly of riff (via Proto-Indo-European).
The verb sense derives from the notion of being unable to control laughter while acting as dead body.
Webster’s 1913
- noun A human body in general, whether living or dead; --sometimes contemptuosly. [Obs.]
- noun The dead body of a human being; --used also Fig.
Etymology [OF. cors (sometimes written corps), F. corps, L. corpus; akin to AS. hrif womb. See Midriff, and cf. Corse, Corselet, Corps, Cuerpo.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “corpse”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details