autopsy
Americannoun
plural
autopsies-
inspection and dissection of a body after death, as for determination of the cause of death; postmortem examination.
-
an analysis of something after it has been done or made.
verb (used with object)
noun
-
Also called: necropsy. postmortem examination. dissection and examination of a dead body to determine the cause of death
-
an eyewitness observation
-
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.
During an MS NOW television interview in late April, Martin used head-spinning illogic to defend concealing the autopsy and denied he was “here to protect anyone.”
From Salon • May 5, 2026
"We are swimming in uncharted waters," analysts Amy Walters and Matthew Klein wrote in an autopsy of the ruling for the nonpartisan Cook Political Report.
From Barron's • Apr. 30, 2026
Ukpo and the Los Angeles Police Department got into a bitter war of words over the decision to withhold the autopsy findings from the public last year.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 22, 2026
The heart failure caused him to suffer acute pulmonary oedema, when fluid builds up in the lungs, the preliminary autopsy confirmed.
From BBC • Apr. 14, 2026
I didn’t know what to do but try to distract myself by reading while waiting for the autopsy report.
From "Dead End in Norvelt" by Jack Gantos
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.
