corpse
English
Alternative forms
- corse (obsolete)
Etymology
From earlier corse, from Old French cors, from Latin corpus (“body”). Displaced native Old English lic (whence modern English word lich). The p was inserted due to the original Latin spelling. Cognate with German Körper (“body”). Doublet of corps and corpus.
Pronunciation
Audio (US) (file) - (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈkɔːps/
- (General American) IPA(key): /ˈkɔɹps/
- (General Australian) IPA(key): /ˈkoːps/
- Rhymes: -ɔː(ɹ)ps
Noun
corpse (plural corpses)
- A dead body.
- (archaic, sometimes derogatory) A human body in general, whether living or dead.
Synonyms
- (dead body): See Thesaurus:corpse
- (body in any state): See Thesaurus:body
Translations
dead body
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Verb
corpse (third-person singular simple present corpses, present participle corpsing, simple past and past participle corpsed)
- (intransitive, slang, of an actor) To lose control during a performance and laugh uncontrollably.
- 1993, John Banville, Ghosts
- There were still moments when she would halt suddenly, like an actor stranded in the middle of the stage, lines forgotten, staring goggle-eyed and making fish-mouths...Corpsing: that was the word.
- 1993, John Banville, Ghosts
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