This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
corpus delicti
[ kawr-puhs di-lik-tahy ]
/ ˈkɔr pəs dɪˈlɪk taɪ /
Save This Word!
This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
noun, plural cor·po·ra de·lic·ti [kawr-per-uhdi-lik-tahy]. /ˈkɔr pər ə dɪˈlɪk taɪ/. Law.
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.
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.
QUIZ
THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?
Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.
Question 1 of 7
In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…
Origin of corpus delicti
1825–35; <New Latin: “body of the offense”
Words nearby corpus delicti
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use corpus delicti in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for corpus delicti
corpus delicti
/ (dɪˈlɪktaɪ) /
noun
law the body of facts that constitute an offence
Word Origin for corpus delicti
New Latin, literally: the body of the crime
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012