necropsy

1 of 2

noun

nec·​rop·​sy ˈne-ˌkräp-sē 

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.

Synonyms

Noun

• autopsy

Examples of necropsy in a Sentence

Noun

a necropsy failed to definitively establish a cause of death

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

According to New York Times reporting, officials are awaiting a necropsy to determine whether there were any underlying diseases that may have explained the canid’s aggression toward humans. —David Lei, Smithsonian Magazine, 30 June 2025

Six additional necropsies are pending, according to prosecutors. —Daniella Segura, Sacbee.com, 24 June 2025

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

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

Rhymes for necropsy

• autopsy
• dropsy

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 

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