"The coroner examined the corpse for signs of cause of death."
"In the horror film, a pale corpse lay in the dim room."
"The detective photographed the corpse at the crime scene."
"They found the corpse in the abandoned building during the night shift."
Corpse comes from the Old French corse, meaning a body, which itself derives from Latin caro, carnis meaning flesh. In Middle English, corpse appeared as corp, cors, or corpse, influenced by Old French. The modern spelling stabilized in the early Renaissance under the influence of the French form corse, aligning with other terms for body. The word shifted from a general body to specifically denote a dead body over time, with usage becoming common in legal, medical, and literary contexts. First known uses trace to medieval texts in which 'corpse' described a dead human body as distinct from living persons, reinforcing its clinical and somber connotations. Over centuries, it maintained a formal register, rather than informal slang for death, and remains a key term in forensic, medical, and narrative writing. Its pronunciation evolved with English phonology, but its spelling kept a close relationship to its Latin and French roots, signaling its etymological lineage in medical and legal English.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Corpse" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "Corpse"
-rse sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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Pronounced /ˈkɔːrps/ in US English and /ˈkɔːps/ in UK English; the r is linked to the vowel before it in rhotic accents. Start with /k/ as in cat, then /ɔː/ as in thought, followed by a light /r/ and end with /ps/ where the /p/ is released into the /s/. Mouth: lips rounded for /ɔː/, tip of the tongue near the alveolar ridge for /r/ (US), then push air through a closed lips-into-teeth combination for /ps/. For Australian English, expect /ˈkɔːps/ with a non-fully rhotic feel and similar vowel to UK. Audio reference: listen to a native speaker via reputable pronunciation resources to hear the final /ps/ cluster.
Common errors include adding an extra vowel before the final /ps/ (e.g., /ˈkɔːərps/), or pronouncing /r/ and /p/ too separately (e.g., /ˈkɔːr-pəs/). Some learners insert a separate /ə/ between /ɔː/ and /ps/, slowing the onset. To correct: keep the nucleus /ɔː/ tight, release /p/ quickly into /s/, and avoid inserting a vowel between /r/ and /p/. Practice the /r/ as a post-vocalic, lightly tapped or approximant depending on accent, then glide directly into /ps/ without a vowel.
In US English, /ˈkɔːrps/ with a clear rhotic /r/ and a tight /ɔː/ vowel; final /ps/ cluster is crisp. UK English tends toward /ˈkɔːps/ with non-rhoticity (r often not pronounced unless followed by a vowel) but in careful speech you may hear /ˈkɔːps/ with a realized /r/ in some speakers; the /ɔː/ vowel is long. Australian English typically /ˈkɔːps/ with a broader, flatter /ɔː/ and a less prominent rhotic; final cluster remains /ps/ but can be slightly elongated before the s. All share the same core: initial /k/, mid back rounded vowel, a short /p/ release into /s/.
Two main challenges: the /ɔː/ vowel quality and the /ps/ final consonant cluster. English does not always pair /r/ with /ps/ evenly, so many speakers blur or insert a vowel between the /r/ and /p/. The /ps/ cluster requires quick, unvoiced release into /s/. In non-rhotic accents, the /r/ may be silent, altering the preceding vowel's timing; in rhotic accents, the /r/ can subtly color the vowel, changing tension in the syllable. Mastery comes from practicing the tight /ɔː/ nucleus, the immediate /p/ release into /s/, and maintaining a short, clipped final sound.
A nuanced point: in careful speech, you may hear a slight yod-like offglide or a very short transitional vowel between /ɔː/ and /p/ for some speakers, but this is not standard in most dialects. Focus on a clean /ɔː/ nucleus, avoid inserting extra vowels, and push directly from the /r/ (if pronounced) into the /p/; the final /s/ should be unvoiced and crisp. If you feel a subtle length, keep it controlled and avoid elongation that delays final consonant.
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