corpus

noun

cor·​pus ˈkȯr-pəs 

plural corpora ˈkȯr-p(ə-)rə 

1

: the body of a human or animal especially when dead

2

a

: the main part or body of a bodily structure or organ

the corpus of the uterus

b

: the main body or corporeal substance of a thing

specifically : the principal of a fund or estate as distinct from income or interest

3

a

: all the writings or works of a particular kind or on a particular subject

especially : the complete works of an author

b

: a collection or body of knowledge or evidence

especially : a collection of recorded utterances used as a basis for the descriptive analysis of a language

Synonyms

• oeuvre

Examples of corpus in a Sentence

a computerized corpus of English

Jane Austen's corpus is modest in number but magnificent in achievement.

Recent Examples on the Web

Some common cancers have also seen an increase in diagnoses, including breast (female), prostate, pancreatic, uterine corpus, melanoma (female), liver (female) and oral cancers associated with the human papillomavirus, the report stated. —Melissa Rudy, Fox News, 16 Jan. 2025

Overall, the cancer mortality rate declined by 34% between 1991 and 2022 in the United States, but incidents rates continue to rise in common cancers like breast, pancreatic, uterine corpus, melanoma, liver and some oral cancers. —Mary Whitfill Roeloffs, Forbes, 16 Jan. 2025

Black people have a death rate that’s twice as high as White people’s for prostate, stomach and uterine corpus cancers, according to the report. —Jacqueline Howard, CNN, 16 Jan. 2025

The new study also showed rates of uterine corpus cancer, which affects the uterus's lining, have been rising at the same pace as breast cancer. —Adrianna Rodriguez, USA TODAY, 16 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, borrowed from Latin, "body, entity, group of people, collection, compendium" — more at midriff

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing corpus

• corpus allatum
• corpus callosum
• corpus cardiacum
• corpus delicti
• corpus luteum
• corpus striatum
• habeas corpus
• habeas corpus ad subjiciendum
• writ of habeas corpus

Medical Definition

corpus

noun

cor·​pus ˈkȯr-pəs 

plural corpora -p(ə-)rə 

1

: the human or animal body especially when dead

2

: the main part or body of a bodily structure or organ

the corpus of the jaw

see corpus uteri

Legal Definition

corpus

noun

cor·​pus ˈkȯr-pəs, -ˌpu̇s 

plural corpora -pə-rə 

: the main body of a thing

specifically : the principal of a fund, trust, or estate as distinct from income or interest : res