Corpses

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The remains of deceased individuals, typically consisting of a lifeless body
2. Bodies that have undergone decomposition or preservation after death
3. Physical forms left after living beings have ceased to function, often examined in forensic contexts

Etymology: "Corpses" is the plural of "corpse," and the singular carries a surprise: English once had its own words for a dead body, likam and lich, but they were pushed aside by a Latin-derived term. That term came into English through Old French as "cors," from Latin "corpus," meaning "body." The "p" in the modern spelling was added later, under the influence of the original Latin spelling, even though it was never pronounced in the Middle English form. The Latin "corpus" is a doublet of "corps," which is why English has both forms. Both descend from the same Latin root, but the French-derived "corps" kept a meaning closer to a body of people or a military unit, while "corpse" narrowed to the lifeless body alone. The word is only distantly related to "riff," tracing back to a shared ancient root.

Synonyms: bodies, remains, cadavers, lifeless, dead

Antonyms: living, alive, animated