livor

Livor is a noun of Latin origin meaning bluish color or stain. In medical and forensic usage, the term most often appears in the phrase livor mortis, or postmortem lividity, which describes the pooling of blood in the dependent parts of a body after death and the resulting discoloration of the skin.

The appearance of livor is influenced by gravity, body temperature, clothing, and movement after death. Lividity typically begins to form within minutes to a few hours after death and tends to become fixed after several hours. The pattern of discoloration—where it appears, its intensity, and whether it remains in expected locations or is displaced if the body was moved—helps forensic pathologists estimate time since death and determine whether a body has been repositioned after death.

Beyond mortal contexts, the root livor can refer more generally to bluish or violaceous discoloration arising from venous stasis or vascular phenomena. In dermatology, related terms such as livedo describe patterned bluish skin changes. Etymology traces to Latin livor, meaning blue or bluish color, reflecting the characteristic coloration associated with the term in both clinical and forensic contexts. See also livor mortis, lividity, and postmortem changes.