Corpse
Corpse (kôrps) , noun
[Old French cors (sometimes written corps), French corps, Latin corpus; akin to Anglo-Saxon hrif womb. See Midriff, and compare Corse, Corselet, Corps, Cuerpo.]
1.
A human body in general, whether living or dead; -- sometimes contemptuously. [Obsolete]
Formerly written (after the French form) corps. See Corps, n., 1.
2.
The dead body of a human being; -- used also Figuratively
He touched the dead corpse of Public Credit, and it sprung upon its feet.
Collocations (2)
Corpse candle , (a) A thick candle formerly used at a lich wake, or the customary watching with a corpse on the night before its interment. (b) A luminous appearance, resembling the flame of a candle, sometimes seen in churchyards and other damp places, superstitiously regarded as portending death.
Corpse gate , the gate of a burial place through which the dead are carried, often having a covered porch; -- called also lich gate.