cadaver

[kuh-dav-er]

noun

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

cadaver

/ kəˈdeɪvə, -ˈdɑːv- /

noun

1. med a corpse

Other Word Forms

• cadaveric adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of cadaver¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of cadaver¹

C16: from Latin, from cadere to fall

Synonym Study

See body.

Example Sentences

After the finding, additional search and rescue teams were called to the area, as well as four cadaver dogs, but officials said no further evidence was located.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Other cadavers have been discovered by chance, as Syrians sift through the rubble of bombed buildings and reclaim farmland disused during the war.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

In the experiment, human blood was used in four different cadavers.

Read more on BBC

The Chobot-Collier team never speaks to the authorities, or any police at all, save for the handlers of a cadaver dog used in a search for Theresa’s body, an effort launched on the flimsiest lead.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

When Shelley wrote “Frankenstein,” Edinburgh had gained infamy as a site of murders and grave robberies that helped fuel a thriving trade in cadavers centered on the city’s laboratories and research hospitals.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• carcass 
• corpse 
• skeleton 

When To Use

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.