coroner

[ kawr-uh-ner, kor- ]

noun

1. an officer, as of a county or municipality, whose chief function is to investigate by inquest, as before a jury, any death not clearly resulting from natural causes.

coroner

/ ˈkɒrənə /

noun

1. See medical examiner, procurator fiscal
   a public official responsible for the investigation of violent, sudden, or suspicious deaths and inquiries into treasure trove. The investigation ( coroner's inquest ) is held in the presence of a jury ( coroner's jury ) See also procurator fiscal Compare medical examiner

Derived Forms

• ˈcoronerˌship, noun

Other Words From

• coro·ner·ship noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of coroner¹

1225–75; Middle English < Anglo-French corouner supervisor of the Crown's pleas, equivalent to coroune crown + -er -er ²

Word History and Origins

Origin of coroner¹

C14: from Anglo-French corouner officer in charge of the pleas of the Crown, from Old French corone crown

Example Sentences

The coroner said it was probably quick—a heart attack, maybe.

From Time

Lisa Lapointe, the province’s chief coroner, said in a statement last week that the extreme heat probably was “a significant contributing factor” in the increased number of deaths.

From Washington Post

Thirteen of the 20 died in King County, which includes Seattle, the county coroner said.

From Washington Post

That’s why Greene and others in his field examine how many people die in a given area during an unusually hot period, as opposed to just looking at those deaths that coroners or medical examiners code as related to hyperthermia.

From Popular-Science

CBP does not maintain a single, centralized tally of exposure deaths and human remains recovered, because the majority of forensic services are handled by county sheriffs and coroners in border districts.

From Washington Post

Even the coroner determined that the cause of death was "homicide."

From The Daily Beast

Garner was pronounced dead an hour later, and the city coroner ruled his death a homicide.

From The Daily Beast

The coroner would also note the tiny hemorrhages that accompany strangulation.

From The Daily Beast

The coroner said the call had been "clearly pressing on her mind" but that she had had "appropriate" support from the hospital.

From The Daily Beast

At last month's inquest, Coroner Fiona Wilcox concluded Mrs Saldanha had taken her own life.

From The Daily Beast

"One of the most extraordinary cases I have ever met with," the doctor told the coroner at the inquest.

From Project Gutenberg

"There was in the evidence given before the coroner a suggestion that the captain had dined somewhere in secret," he said.

From Project Gutenberg

A woman having died suddenly at Waterford, the Coroner had, according to law, ordered an inquest.

From Project Gutenberg

Coroner Bogle demanded that the body should be viewed officially before the man-hunt should begin.

From Project Gutenberg

Scattergood stepped forward as the coroner turned the face up to the light of the sun.

From Project Gutenberg