autopsy
Americannoun
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inspection and dissection of a body after death, as for determination of the cause of death; postmortem examination.
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an analysis of something after it has been done or made.
verb (used with object)
noun
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Also called: necropsy. postmortem examination. dissection and examination of a dead body to determine the cause of death
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an eyewitness observation
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any critical analysis
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of autopsy
1645–55; (< Middle French autopsie ) < Greek autopsía a seeing with one's own eyes, equivalent to aut- aut- + óps ( is ) -opsis + -ia -y 3
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Explanation
An autopsy is the dissection of a dead human body to figure out the cause of death. If you watch crime shows on TV, you've probably seen hundreds of 'em. The word autopsy comes from the Greek, meaning "to see with one's own eyes." Many cultures thought it was sacrilegious to mar the human body, because the dead person would need it in the afterlife (you don't want to be hanging out for eternity with your pals while your intestines are flapping around your ankles). Autopsy is used interchangeably with the term post-mortem, Latin for "after-death."
Vocabulary lists containing autopsy
To Thine Own Self Be True: Auto
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Into the Wild
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Common Senses: Op, Ops, Opt ("Sight")
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
On Tuesday, NT's health minister said autopsy results from an overseas lab found diphtheria was the cause of a man's death in April at Royal Darwin Hospital, the first such case since 2018.
From BBC • May 26, 2026
Instead, the so-called autopsy was a shambolic train wreck of missing paragraphs, factual errors, and apparent plagiarism.
From Slate • May 23, 2026
The sloppiness of the autopsy and its unfinished state are also notable.
From Salon • May 22, 2026
However, a final autopsy report determined that there was no link between the fight and the subsequent brain bleed, instead citing injuries Shaylee suffered after falling down some stairs days after the fight took place.
From Los Angeles Times • May 19, 2026
Each time she panicked, she’d pat the bed and say, “Where’s my sister autopsy report?” or “Oh no, where’d I put my room key?”
From "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
