medical examiner

American  

noun

1. a physician or other person trained in medicine who is appointed by a city, county, or the like, to perform autopsies on the bodies of persons supposed to have died from unnatural causes and to investigate the cause and circumstances of such deaths.

2. a physician retained by an insurance company, industrial firm, or the like, to give medical examinations to its clients or employees.

---

medical examiner British  

noun

1. a medical expert, usually a physician, employed by a state or local government to determine the cause of sudden death in cases of suspected violence, suicide, etc Compare coroner

2. a physician who carries out medical examinations

---

Etymology

Origin of medical examiner

First recorded in 1840–50

Example Sentences

The Los Angeles County medical examiner’s office determined that the beloved comedian died of a pulmonary embolism, a blood clot in the lungs, according to her death certificate published Monday by TMZ.

From Los Angeles Times

No more information will be released until medical examiners can determine a cause and manner of death, police said.

From BBC

The Los Angeles County medical examiner’s office didn’t immediately respond to an inquiry on Sunday about whether the woman has been identified.

From Los Angeles Times

Viridiana Aguilar, a spokesperson for the medical examiner, said earlier this month that her agency had not yet made a determination on the cause of death and had requested additional testing.

From Los Angeles Times

The report said a county medical examiner would conduct an autopsy.

From The Wall Street Journal