corpus delicti

[kawr-puhs di-lik-tahy]

noun

Law.

plural

corpora delicti 

1. the basic element or elements of a crime, as, in murder, the death of the murdered person; the body of facts or evidence showing that a crime has been committed.

2. the object, as the body of a murdered person, upon which a crime has been committed and that serves as evidence proving that the crime was committed.

corpus delicti

/ dɪˈlɪktaɪ /

noun

1. law the body of facts that constitute an offence

Word History and Origins

Origin of corpus delicti¹

1825–35; < New Latin: “body of the offense”

Word History and Origins

Origin of corpus delicti¹

New Latin, literally: the body of the crime

Related Words

• carcass 
• dead body www.thesaurus.com
• remains