corporal1
[kawr-per-uh l, -pruh l]
- of the human body; bodily; physical: corporal suffering.
- Zoology. of the body proper, as distinguished from the head and limbs.
- personal: corporal possession.
- Obsolete. corporeal; belonging to the material world.
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Origin of corporal1
Synonyms
See more synonyms for corporal on Thesaurus.com1. material. See physical.
corporal2
[kawr-per-uh l, -pruh l]
- Military.
- a noncommissioned officer ranking above a private first class in the U.S. Army or lance corporal in the Marines and below a sergeant.
- a similar rank in the armed services of other countries.
- (initial capital letter) a U.S. surface-to-surface, single-stage ballistic missile.
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Origin of corporal2
corporal3
[kawr-per-uh l, -pruh l]
- a fine cloth, usually of linen, on which the consecrated elements are placed or with which they are covered.
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Origin of corporal3
1350–1400; Middle English corporalle < Medieval Latin corporale (pallium) eucharistic (altar cloth); replacing earlier corporas < Old French < Latin, as above
Also called communion cloth.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for corporal
Contemporary Examples
In an act of corporal punishment that we at the Daily Beast do not condone, Joseph grabbed Him by the ear and “pulled hard.”
By the end of his life, the memories of corporal punishment at the hands of his teachers were vivid.
Moreover, corporal punishment has the undesirable quality that the more you use it, the less effective it becomes.
What surrounds Corporal Kincaid is a compelling portrait of a family in crisis.
What gives Corporal Kincaid his outsider status is his war experience.
Historical Examples
He asked for a corporal or a sergeant who could write and stand fire at the same time.
The Boy Life of NapoleonEugenie Foa
This, however, did not prevent him from calling lustily for the "corporal of the guard."
Cleveland Past and PresentMaurice Joblin
To the corporal's inquiry he replied that Ferry had just passed on.
The CavalierGeorge Washington Cable
A corporal was shaking me and whispering "Make no noise; mount and fall in."
The CavalierGeorge Washington Cable
We've jammed it, corporal, but another good kick will fetch it; now!
The CavalierGeorge Washington Cable
corporal1
- of or relating to the body; bodily
- an obsolete word for corporeal
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Word Origin
C14: from Latin corporālis of the body, from corpus body
corporal2
- a noncommissioned officer junior to a sergeant in the army, air force, or marines
- (in the Royal Navy) a petty officer who assists the master-at-arms
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Word Origin
C16: from Old French, via Italian, from Latin caput head; perhaps also influenced in Old French by corps body (of men)
corporal3
corporale (ˌkɔːpəˈreɪlɪ)
- a white linen cloth on which the bread and wine are placed during the Eucharist
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Word Origin
C14: from Medieval Latin corporāle pallium eucharistic altar cloth, from Latin corporālis belonging to the body, from corpus body (of Christ)
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for corporal
n.
lowest noncommissioned army officer, 1570s, from Middle French corporal, from Italian caporale "a corporal," from capo "chief, head," from Latin caput "head" (see capitulum). So called because he was in charge of a body of troops. Perhaps influenced by Italian corpo, from Latin corps "body." Or corps may be the source and caput the influence, as the OED suggests.
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adj.
"of or belonging to the body," late 14c., from Old French corporal (12c., Modern French corporel) "of the body, physical, strong," from Latin corporalis "pertaining to the body," from corpus (genitive corporis) "body" (see corps). Corporal punishment "punishment of the body" (as opposed to fine or loss of rank or privilege) is from 1580s. Related: Corporality.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper