cadaver

[ kuh-dav-er ]

/ kəˈdæv ər /

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See synonyms for cadaver on Thesaurus.com

Definition of cadaver

noun

a dead body, especially a human body to be dissected; corpse.

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“Was” is used for the indicative past tense of “to be,” and “were” is only used for the subjunctive past tense.

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Origin of cadaver

1350–1400; Middle English <Latin cadāver dead body, corpse; akin to cadere to fall, perish (see decay, chance)

synonym study for cadaver

See body.

OTHER WORDS FROM cadaver

ca·dav·er·ic, adjective

Words nearby cadaver

cad, cadaga, cadaster, cadastral, cadastre, cadaver, cadaverine, cadaverous, Cadbury, CAD/CAM, caddice

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

MORE ABOUT CADAVER

What is a cadaver?

A cadaver is a dead body, especially a dead human body.

The word cadaver is sometimes used interchangeably with the word corpse, but cadaver is especially used in a scientific context to refer to a body that is the subject of scientific study or medical use, such as one that will be dissected.

It’s sometimes used as a modifier (adjective) in phrases that involve cadavers. For example, cadaver tissue is tissue that has been harvested from a donor body. A cadaver dog is a dog that has been specially trained to track the scent of dead bodies in searches for missing persons.

Example: The cadavers are carefully preserved before they are prepared for dissection.

Where does cadaver come from?

The first records of the word cadaver come from the 1300s. It comes from the Latin cadāver, meaning “corpse,” from the Latin verb cadere, meaning “to perish.”

One adjective form of cadaver is cadaverous, but it’s not used in a technical way. Cadaverous is used to describe a person who looks as if they were dead, such as someone who looks especially thin, pale, or bony. It’s typically used in fiction stories—it wouldn’t be nice to call a real person cadaverous.

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to cadaver?

cadaverous (adjective)
cadaveric (adjective)
cadaverlike (adjective)

What are some synonyms for cadaver?

remains
corpse
dead body

What are some words that share a root or word element with cadaver?

cadaverine

What are some words that often get used in discussing cadaver?

How is cadaver used in real life?

Cadaver is typically used in medical and forensic contexts.

The ‘multilayer’ theory of Denonvilliers’ fascia: anatomical dissection of cadavers with the aim to improve neurovascular bundle preservation during rectal mobilization@SamTou22 Editor's Choice for February https://t.co/dIXpUye4Cl pic.twitter.com/7EkCWYHw0N

— Colorectal Disease (@ColorectalDis) February 5, 2020

They may look very real, but these are actually synthetic cadavers used to train students in this #UTSA anatomy class. 🔬👩‍⚕️🎓 pic.twitter.com/jaXgwhlVFE

— UTSA (@UTSA) February 27, 2017

Surgery went very well. They were able to remove the tumor and put in the cadaver bone. 1 step closer to recovery. pic.twitter.com/0Tg09IHRXk

— Reese LaFlare (@ReeseBrown_) June 22, 2016

Try using cadaver!

Which of the following terms is NOT a synonym of cadaver?

A. corpse
B. remains
C. limb
D. dead body

How to use cadaver in a sentence

We’ve shown that medical students are disgusted by cadavers.
The Downside of Disgust (Ep. 448)|Stephen J. Dubner|January 21, 2021|Freakonomics
One way to understand the first claim about unique movement patterns is to move cadaver legs through a running motion.
There’s a New Way to Choose the Right Running Shoe|Alex Hutchinson|January 5, 2021|Outside Online
I lit a big fire in the fireplace and all kinds of little winged cadavers fell into the fire from the chimney above.
The global rally stalls out, but Goldman Sachs is doubling down on value stocks|Bernhard Warner|December 7, 2020|Fortune
Kaiser’s preexisting plan to teach students anatomy using virtual reality simulators, rather than cadavers, proved fortuitous.
How U.S. Medical Schools Are Training a Post-Pandemic Generation of Doctors|Jamie Ducharme|November 24, 2020|Time

That’s when they use cadaver cartilage and bone transplants on a lateral femur.
How to Suck Less at … Skateboarding|Eugene Robinson|October 19, 2020|Ozy
I would go to dissection classes, cut up a human cadaver, and then go home and write about what I had learned and felt.
Doctors Can Write More Than Prescriptions: The Best Books by Doctors|Gabriel Weston|August 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It took nearly a week to link the floating cadaver and the missing Iranian.
Iranian Found In Venice Lagoon, Alleged Victim Of Botched Sex Game|Barbie Latza Nadeau|February 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I did a voiceover in a short called Cadaver, and then a short when I was 11 [First Bass].
Fashion Wunderkind Tavi Gevinson on Her Acting Debut in ‘Enough Said’|Marlow Stern|September 10, 2013|DAILY BEAST
A new study claims to have found the elusive spot in the cadaver of an 83-year-old woman.
Don’t Believe the G-Spot Hype!|Debby Herbenick PhD|April 25, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Cadaver dogs have been known to give “false positives,” but one study found them to be accurate more than 90 percent of the time.
The NYPD Unearths the Etan Patz Missing-Child Case 33 Years Later|Michael Daly|April 20, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The low, almost feminine, voice sharply accentuates the cadaver-like face and figure.
Prison Memoirs of an Anarchist|Alexander Berkman
Then when his fingers came in contact with the viscera of a cadaver, that of a little child, he cried out in horror.
Etidorhpa or the End of Earth.|John Uri Lloyd
Remove the tissue or organ from the cadaver as soon after death as possible, using great care to avoid distortion or injury.
The Elements of Bacteriological Technique|John William Henry Eyre
But his disappointment and humiliation showed through his smile, as the hollows and bones through the skin of a cadaver.
The Strength of Gideon and Other Stories|Paul Laurence Dunbar
Linnaeus tells us that 'Tres muscae consumunt cadaver equi aeque cito ac leo.'
The Life of the Fly|J. Henri Fabre

British Dictionary definitions for cadaver

cadaver

/ (kəˈdeɪvə, -ˈdɑːv-) /

noun

med a corpse

Derived forms of cadaver

cadaveric, adjective

Word Origin for cadaver

C16: from Latin, from cadere to fall

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

Medical definitions for cadaver

cadaver

[ kə-dăv′ər ]

A dead body, especially one intended for dissection.

Other words from cadaver

ca•dav′er•ic (-ər-ĭk) adj.

cadaver

Definition of cadaver

Origin of cadaver

synonym study for cadaver

OTHER WORDS FROM cadaver

Words nearby cadaver

MORE ABOUT CADAVER

What is a cadaver?

Where does cadaver come from?

Did you know ... ?

How is cadaver used in real life?

Try using cadaver!

Words related to cadaver

How to use cadaver in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for cadaver

Derived forms of cadaver

Word Origin for cadaver

Medical definitions for cadaver

Other words from cadaver