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 of corpus

• output

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

ProPublica reviewed hundreds of habeas corpus petitions filed nationwide since January 2025, in which immigrants challenged their ICE detention on constitutional grounds. — Melissa Sanchez, ProPublica, 14 Oct. 2026

The agent can scan the entire corpus, refine the search based on the intent behind the query and return only the most relevant documents. — Neil Araujo, Forbes.com, 13 Oct. 2026

Suffolk more than accommodated this corpus of experience while at the same time enabling me to refine my interests courtesy of its humanizing curriculum. — David Shribman, Christian Science Monitor, 10 Oct. 2026

This story has been updated to include the writ of habeus corpus filed by the Tates’ legal team on Wednesday. — Elisabeth Garber-Paul, Rolling Stone, 7 Oct. 2026

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

Rhymes for corpus

• porpoise

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