necropsy

1 of 2

noun

nec·​rop·​sy ˈne-ˌkräp-sē How to pronounce necropsy (audio)
plural necropsies
: autopsy sense 1
especially : an autopsy performed on an animal

necropsy

2 of 2

verb

necropsied; necropsying

transitive verb

: to perform an autopsy on

Did you know?

Human autopsies are generally performed either to determine the cause of death or to observe the deadly effects of a disease for research or education purposes. Autopsies may be necessary when tracking an epidemic; they're also performed to discover whether a death might actually have resulted from murder, and if so, what evidence it might reveal that could help catch the murderer. Animal necropsies are actually more common than human autopsies, since a farmer with livestock is always concerned that whatever killed one animal not pose a threat to the others.

Examples of necropsy in a Sentence

Noun a necropsy failed to definitively establish a cause of death
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
The Oceanic Preservation Society said that a necropsy will be done on Hvaldimir to determine his cause of death in the next few weeks. Brie Stimson, Fox News, 7 Sep. 2024 Their remains were sent to CPW's health lab in Fort Collins to be tested for disease and to undergo a full necropsy. Saman Shafiq, USA TODAY, 7 Oct. 2024
Verb
Her body was brought to SeaWorld, where a team of pathologists and biologists from several organizations, including the University of Florida and Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute, worked overnight to necropsy the animal and take samples. Max Chesnes, Anchorage Daily News, 13 Jan. 2023 Thanks to @MassDFG @A_WhiteShark and @GregSkomal for recovering this juvenile white #shark and coordinating with us to necropsy it. Steve Annear, BostonGlobe.com, 6 July 2022 See all Example Sentences for necropsy 

Word History

Etymology

Noun

necr- + -opsy (in autopsy), probably after French nécropsie

Verb

derivative of necropsy entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

circa 1842, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1927, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of necropsy was circa 1842

Dictionary Entries Near necropsy

Cite this Entry

“Necropsy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/necropsy. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

necropsy

noun
nec·​rop·​sy
ˈnek-ˌräp-sē
plural necropsies
: autopsy
especially : an autopsy performed on an animal

Medical Definition

necropsy

1 of 2 noun
nec·​rop·​sy ˈnek-ˌräp-sē How to pronounce necropsy (audio)
plural necropsies
: autopsy
especially : an autopsy performed on an animal

necropsy

2 of 2 transitive verb
necropsied; necropsying
: to perform an autopsy especially on an animal

More from Merriam-Webster on necropsy

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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