corporal

¹ American  

[kawr-per-uhl, -pruhl] / ˈkɔr pər əl, -prəl /

adjective

1. of the human body; bodily; physical.

   corporal suffering.

   Synonyms:

   material

2. Zoology. of the body proper, as distinguished from the head and limbs.

3. personal.

   corporal possession.

4. Obsolete. corporeal; belonging to the material world.

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corporal ² American  

[kawr-per-uhl, -pruhl] / ˈkɔr pər əl, -prəl /

noun

Military.

1. 1. a noncommissioned officer ranking above a private first class in the U.S. Army or lance corporal in the Marines and below a sergeant.

   2. a similar rank in the armed services of other countries.

2. Corporal, a U.S. surface-to-surface, single-stage ballistic missile.

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corporal ³ American  

[kawr-per-uhl, -pruhl] / ˈkɔr pər əl, -prəl /

noun

Ecclesiastical.

1. a fine cloth, usually of linen, on which the consecrated elements in the Eucharist are placed or with which they are covered.

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corporal ¹ British  

/ -prəl, ˈkɔːpərəl /

adjective

1. of or relating to the body; bodily

2. an obsolete word for corporeal

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corporal ² British  

/ ˈkɔːpərəl, -prəl /

noun

1. a noncommissioned officer junior to a sergeant in the army, air force, or marines

2. (in the Royal Navy) a petty officer who assists the master-at-arms

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corporal ³ British  

/ -prəl, ˌkɔːpəˈreɪlɪ, ˈkɔːpərəl /

noun

1. a white linen cloth on which the bread and wine are placed during the Eucharist

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Usage

What does corporal mean? Corporal means physical, or relating to the physical body. Sometimes, corporal is about the body specifically- like corporal suffering, or bodily pain. Other times, corporal simply refers to something you are able to touch, like a corporal, or tangible, possession. While it is frowned upon now, many schools in the United States used to use hitting, spanking, or other forms of corporal punishment to discipline students.

Synonym Usage

See physical.

Other Word Forms

• corporalcy
  noun
• corporality
  noun
• corporalship
  noun
• corporally
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of corporal¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English corporal, corporel, from Old French corporal and Latin corporālem, from corporālis “bodily, physical,” equivalent to corpor- (stem of corpus “body” (alive or dead) + -ālis adjective ending; see -al ¹

Origin of corporal²

First recorded in 1570–80; from Middle French corporal, variant of cap(p)oral (influenced by adjective corporal “bodily”), from Italian caporale, apparently a contraction of the phrase capo corporale “corporal head, bodily head” that is, head of a body (of soldiers); See caput, corporal ¹

Origin of corporal³

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English corporal(le), from Medieval Latin corporālis (palla), corporāle (pallium) “eucharistic (altar cloth)”; replacing earlier corporas, corporaus, from Old French corporaus, corporals, from Latin corporālis (palla), as above; see also pall ¹ ( def. ), pallium

Explanation

Corporal means "of the body." Corporal punishment involves physically harming someone. A corporal is also a noncommissioned officer in the Army, Air Force, and Marines. In the military, a corporal is a soldier who rose through the ranks as an enlisted soldier, not going to one of the military colleges. Elsewhere, this word has to do with physical things and beings. A ghost is not corporal — it has no body. In a horror movie, corporal monsters like zombies and vampires can do more damage. You can also talk about corporal pleasures, like eating and drinking. When you see the word corporal (or corporeal), think body.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

corporal

"We're going to stay until the last person is recovered," firefighter corporal Javier Jimenez told AFP.

From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026

Miller is a former Marine Corps Reserve corporal who worked for Trump’s 2016 campaign before joining the first Trump administration as an aide.

From Slate ● Aug. 10, 2026

Several private schools in Ohio and Virginia permit paddling as discipline even though those states outlaw corporal punishment in public schools.

From Salon ● Jul. 27, 2026

At the time, an estimated 7% of California districts had banned corporal punishment, although Gov. Jerry Brown had just signed a law requiring parental permission.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 5, 2025

A handful of other men were also interested, and the questions were many and good when Clevinger and the subversive corporal finished and made the mistake of asking if there were any.

From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller