cadavre

Cadavre is the French noun for a dead body, usually a human corpse. It is used in medical, forensic, archaeological, and legal contexts to refer to a body after death, regardless of age or cause. In common language, corps is more general, while cadavre specifically marks postmortem status or remains.

Etymology: from Latin cadaver, meaning "dead body," itself from cadere "to fall." The word entered Old French as cadavre and remains common in contemporary French in technical or formal registers. In English, the cognate cadaver has a parallel specialized sense.

Contexts and usage: In anatomy and medical education, a cadavre may be dissected to study human structures. In pathology and forensic medicine, autopsy or postmortem examination of a cadavre aims to determine cause and time of death and to document injuries or diseases. The term denotes the state after death, differentiating from the living body (corps).

Handling and disposition: Cadavres are subject to ethical, legal, and cultural rules governing consent, privacy, and ceremonial treatment. Depending on jurisdiction and wishes of relatives, cadavres may be preserved by refrigeration or embalming, released to family, cremated, buried, or donated for continued scientific research.