noun
cadaver
kuh-DAV-er/kəˈdævər/
A dead human body, especially one used for medical study.
Medical students study the muscles of a donated cadaver.
Etymology
Latin cadaver meant a dead body and probably derives from cadere, “to fall,” suggesting a body fallen in death. English uses the noun especially for a human body studied in anatomy.
In context
her body lays on a brocade bed and she's viewable through a glass Shrine Pringle describes seeing her more than 700 year old cadaver this way
More examples
- The anatomy laboratory received a cadaver for teaching.
- They treated the cadaver with care and respect.
- The research compared tissue samples from several cadavers.
Forms
cadaver · cadavers
Similar words
- corpse
- The general term for a dead body, without the medical-study association.