Body Parts: corp (body)

Learn these words that derive from the Latin word corpus, meaning "body."
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Full list of words from this list:

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  1. corpus
    a collection of writings
    As a result, over time, the chats build up into a corpus of deep historical knowledge. New York Times (Mar 11, 2015)
    In medical or legal jargon, corpus usually refers to an actual body; in everyday speech, corpus is typically used to refer to a body of knowledge.
  2. corps
    a body of people associated together
    The public school student body of California is much more diverse than the teacher corps that would be tasked with adapting college-level concepts for the K-12 classroom. New York Times (Aug 15, 2019)
  3. corpse
    the dead body of a human being
    That night I dreamed of the king’s pale and bloodless corpse sprinkled with innocent white and pink blossoms. Ophelia
    The "p" in corpse was originally silent and the "e" was rarely added before the 19th century, so earlier references to a dead body were often spelled "corse" or "corps."
  4. corporal
    affecting the body as opposed to the mind or spirit
    Of course, corporal punishment was forbidden in the schools. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
  5. corporeal
    characteristic of the body as opposed to the mind or spirit
    They mean not just that physical reality helps us think, but that mental functioning depends on corporeal experience. Slate (Nov 24, 2014)
    Corporal and corporeal have similar meanings, but corporal is most commonly used in the context of punishment. Corporeal, on the other hand, is often used to describe experiences or sensations that affect the body rather than the mind.
  6. corpulent
    excessively large
    I had expected that Mr. Gatsby would be a florid and corpulent person in his middle years. The Great Gatsby
  7. corpuscle
    (nontechnical usage) a tiny piece of anything
    Each of us is but a tiny corpuscle in the vast, throbbing corpus. Washington Post
    In a technical sense, corpuscle refers to specific types of cells. It can also be used more generally, as in the example sentence.
  8. corporation
    a business firm recognized by law as a single body
    The Justice Department sometimes forces the breakup of a large corporation into several smaller companies. The Lemonade War
    A corporation is a business enterprise in which many individuals or divisions are united into and recognized as a single body.
  9. corporate
    done by or characteristic of individuals acting together
    This is the principle of mutual dependence, the fundamental principle of corporate life. Gore, Charles
    These days, corporate is most commonly used to mean "relating or belonging to a business firm," but it can also be used more generally, as in the example sentence, to refer to the action of any group working together as one body.
  10. incorporate
    make into a whole or make part of a whole
    When we acquire new information, the brain automatically tries to incorporate it within existing information by forming associations. Scientific American (Jun 2, 2015)
  11. habeas corpus
    the right to a writ protecting against illegal imprisonment
    They are preparing to file suit to get a writ of habeas corpus on behalf of captive elephants, such as those used in circus performances. Nature (Apr 21, 2015)
    The Latin verb habere means to "to have or hold" and corpus in this phrase is used to mean "person." The right of habeas corpus prevents prisoners from being illegally detained.
  12. corset
    a woman's close-fitting foundation garment
    The heat was a misery for all of us in Fentress, but it was the women who suffered the most in their corsets and petticoats. The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate
Created on Fri Jun 06 13:57:02 EDT 2025 (updated Tue Mar 03 19:28:25 EST 2026)

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