coroner

noun

cor·​o·​ner ˈkȯr-ə-nər 

ˈkär-

: a usually elected public officer who is typically not required to have specific medical qualifications and whose principal duty is to inquire by an inquest into the cause of any death which there is reason to suppose is not due to natural causes compare medical examiner

Examples of coroner in a Sentence

The coroner examined the body but found no evidence of foul play.

Recent Examples on the Web

Of the roughly 227 homeless people who died in Sacramento County last year, the coroner’s office listed fentanyl as a cause for 47 of them. —Jenavieve Hatch, Sacramento Bee, 7 June 2024

The grand jury did not agree with that assessment, finding the coroner’s office used only video and not physical evidence to determine restraint was a factor in Roybal’s death. —Katie Langford, The Denver Post, 6 June 2024

The coroner’s office identified the victim Monday as Kenya Myers, 27, of Caldwell. —Sally Krutzig, Idaho Statesman, 3 June 2024

Detectable amounts of ketamine from those types of treatments normally disappear from a person’s system in three to four hours, the coroner said. —Salvador Hernandez, Los Angeles Times, 29 May 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English corowner, coronour "local officer of the crown charged with supervision of royal pleas," borrowed from Anglo-French coroner, corouner, from corone, coroune crown entry 1 + -er -er entry 2

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

coroner

noun

cor·​o·​ner ˈkȯr-ə-nər 

ˈkär-

: a public officer whose chief duty is to discover the cause of any death possibly not due to natural causes

Medical Definition

coroner

noun

cor·​o·​ner ˈkȯr-ə-nər, ˈkär- 

: a usually elected public officer who is typically not required to have specific medical qualifications and whose principal duty is to inquire by an inquest into the cause of any death which there is reason to suppose is not due to natural causes see medical examiner sense 1

Legal Definition

coroner

noun

cor·​o·​ner ˈkȯr-ə-nər 

: a public officer whose principal duty is to inquire by an inquest into the cause of death when there is reason to think the death may not be due to natural causes

Etymology

Anglo-French, recorder of crown pleas, from corone crown