necropsy
Americannoun
verb (used with object)
noun
Etymology
Origin of necropsy
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How does necropsy compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
A necropsy is a surgical examination of a dead body, most commonly a dead animal, in order to learn why the animal died. A more common word for necropsy is autopsy. Either way, it's the dissection of a corpse performed to learn something about the cause of death or about a particular disease. Frequently the word necropsy is used when the body being examined is not human — in the case of a laboratory animal, for example. Whenever you see the prefix necro, you can be sure the word has something to do with death. In this case, it's combined with opsis, "a sight" in Greek.
Vocabulary lists containing necropsy
Common Senses: Op, Ops, Opt ("Sight")
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op, ops, opt
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
They compared these records with necropsy data from stranded whales.
From Science Daily • Apr. 13, 2026
The Pacific Marine Mammal Center in Laguna Beach is performing a necropsy to determine the animal’s cause of death.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 21, 2025
"We've managed to retrieve his remains and put him in a cooled area, in preparation for a necropsy by the veterinary institute," he told AFP news agency.
From BBC • Sep. 1, 2024
Yet Majrad’s death was especially devastating, conservationist Raza Kazmi reported: When researchers performed a necropsy, they found she’d been pregnant with triplets.
From Slate • May 25, 2024
Another tarp covered a Level 4 necropsy area.
From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
