rigor mortis
noun
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Rigor mortis, which translates from Latin as "stiffness of death", sets in quickly and usually ends three or four days after death. The condition results from a lack of certain chemicals in the muscles; it may be affected by muscular activity before death as well as the external temperature. Mystery writers frequently make use of rigor mortis as a means by which the detective or the examiner can determine the time of the victim's death, which often turns out to be all-important in solving the case.
Examples of rigor mortis in a Sentence
Becca Longmire, People.com, 8 May 2025
Diplomacy had been declared dead before, but never had the rigor mortis been so advanced.
—A. Wess Mitchell, Foreign Affairs, 22 Apr. 2025
But officers who responded said that rigor mortis had set in, a possible indication the boy had been left for longer than his dad claimed, authorities said.
—Nate Gartrell, The Mercury News, 13 Jan. 2025
The machine will then cut the gill to pump out the blood to place the fish into rigor mortis, the state of stiffness.
—Andrew Watman, Forbes, 2 Oct. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Rigor mortis.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rigor%20mortis. Accessed 23 May. 2025.
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rigor mortis
noun
from scientific Latin, literally "stiffness of death," from Latin rigēre "to be stiff" — related to rigid
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