corpus delicti
the basic element or elements of a crime, as, in murder, the death of the murdered person; the body of facts or evidence showing that a crime has been committed.
the object, as the body of a murdered person, upon which a crime has been committed and that serves as evidence proving that the crime was committed.
Origin of corpus delicti
1Words Nearby corpus delicti
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use corpus delicti in a sentence
The commonest method is the complete destruction of the corpse—the corpus delicti.
I know it will be hard for them to convict you without corpus delicti, but you must confess.
"And That's How It Was, Officer" | Ralph SholtoIf Hallard could open the penitentiary, why not the grave in which a corpus delicti had been hastily hidden?
What Will People Say? | Rupert HughesI will place the corpus delicti in the Czar's own hands, and can assure you that the culprit will bitterly repent his offence!
The Green Book | Mr Jkai"Now let us go and see the corpus delicti," said the Vicar as soon as they had drawn their chairs from the table.
The Vicar of Bullhampton | Anthony Trollope
British Dictionary definitions for corpus delicti
/ (dɪˈlɪktaɪ) /
law the body of facts that constitute an offence
Origin of corpus delicti
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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