corpus delicti

[ kawr-puhs di-lik-tahy ]
See synonyms for corpus delicti on Thesaurus.com
noun,plural cor·po·ra de·lic·ti [kawr-per-uhdi-lik-tahy]. /ˈkɔr pər ə dɪˈlɪk taɪ/. Law.
  1. 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.

  2. 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

1
1825–35; <New Latin: “body of the offense”

Words 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.

  • If Hallard could open the penitentiary, why not the grave in which a corpus delicti had been hastily hidden?

    What Will People Say? | Rupert Hughes
  • I 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

corpus delicti

/ (dɪˈlɪktaɪ) /


noun
  1. law the body of facts that constitute an offence

Origin of corpus delicti

1
New Latin, literally: the body of the crime

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012