- corpse
- [14] Latin corpus ‘body’ has two direct
descendants in English: corpse, which came via
Old French cors, and corps [18], which came via
modern French corps. The former first entered
English in the 13th century as cors, and during
the 14th century it had its original Latin p
reinserted. At first it meant simply ‘body’, but by
the end of the 14th century the current sense
‘dead body’ was becoming firmly established.
The idea originally underlying corps, on the
other hand, was of a small ‘body’ of troops.
Other English derivatives of corpus include
corporal, corporate [15], from the past
participle of Latin corporāre ‘make into a body’,
corpulent [14], two diminutives corpuscle [17]
and corset [14], and corsage [15]. Corpus itself
was acquired in the 14th century.
=> CORPORAL, CORPORATE, CORPULENT, CORSET
* * *The word has its origin in Latin corpus, 'body.' It was originally used of a living body or person, hence such biblical passages as 'Behold, they were all dead corpses' (2 Kings 19:35). The same Latin word gave corps (body of soldiers) and corpus (body of writings).
The Hutchinson dictionary of word origins. 2013.