cadaver
Americannoun
noun
Usage
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.
Related Words
See body.
Other Word Forms
- cadaveric adjective
Etymology
Origin of cadaver
1350–1400; Middle English < Latin cadāver dead body, corpse; akin to cadere to fall, perish ( decay, chance )
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.
The earl of Arundel’s tomb expresses the grim realities beneath the era’s facade of chivalry: Above, he is depicted resplendent in full armor; below, as a gaunt cadaver.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 11, 2026
A third group of six cadaver donors provided additional skin samples to strengthen the control group.
From Science Daily • Dec. 15, 2025
The family, alongside a volunteer team using cadaver detection dogs, has recently been searching an "area of interest" they hoped would be a breakthrough in the case.
From BBC • Oct. 22, 2025
He can also use a state-of-the-art cadaver lab, a rarity for undergraduates.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 21, 2025
In between school and schoolwork, Theresa pitched in, happy to get away from her cadaver.
From "Typical American" by Gish Jen
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.
