autopsy

noun

au·​top·​sy ˈȯ-ˌtäp-sē How to pronounce autopsy (audio)
ˈȯ-təp-
plural autopsies
Synonyms of autopsynext
1
: an examination of a body after death to determine the cause of death or the character and extent of changes produced by disease

called also necropsy

2
: a critical examination, evaluation, or assessment of someone or something past
autopsy transitive verb

Synonyms

See all Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus 

Examples of autopsy in a Sentence

The coroner performed an autopsy on the murder victim's body. the autopsy revealed an advanced stage of cancer
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
An autopsy found multiple drugs in his system at the time of his death. —Lissete Lanuza Sáenz, StyleCaster, 5 Nov. 2024 One surprising thing Despite the flurry of headlines announcing that, according to an anonymous tip, Liam Payne’s autopsy found pink cocaine in his system, there’s no chemical test for pink cocaine. —Celia Ford, Vox, 4 Nov. 2024 The preliminary autopsy also listed contributing causes of acute intoxication by cocaine and alcohol and cardiopulmonary arrest, WOIO reported. —Eric Levenson, CNN, 3 Nov. 2024 After this came a jarring interlude that looked to me like a puppet autopsy. —Jennifer Homans, The New Yorker, 28 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for autopsy 

Word History

Etymology

earlier, "act of seeing with one's own eyes, direct observation," borrowed from New Latin autopsia, borrowed from Greek autopsía, from aut- aut- + -opsia, later variant of -opsis "act of seeing, sight" — more at optic entry 1

Note: Use of the word in English to refer specifically to the examination of a corpse is apparently not known before the nineteenth century. The Oxford English Dictionary, third edition, notes French autopsie in the sense "post-mortem examination" from "1671 or earlier," but gives no source for an attestation. In French the phrase autopsie cadavérique is fairly common after 1800, but does not seem to have been used earlier. In Latin medical texts of the eighteenth century, the phrase autopsia cadaverum "autopsy of cadavers" (with variants) can be found in a number of texts, as the Synopsis universae praxeos medicae, pars prima (Amsterdam, 1765) of the French physician Joseph Lieutaud.

First Known Use

1805, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of autopsy was in 1805

Dictionary Entries Near autopsy

autopsist

autopsy

autoptic

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Autopsy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/autopsy. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.

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Kids Definition

autopsy

noun
au·​top·​sy ˈȯ-ˌtäp-sē How to pronounce autopsy (audio)
ˈȯt-əp-
plural autopsies
: an examination of a dead body especially to find out the cause of death
autopsy verb
Etymology

from Greek autopsia "the act of seeing with one's own eyes," from aut- "self" and opsis "sight," from opsesthai "to be going to see" — related to optic

Medical Definition

autopsy

1 of 2 noun
au·​top·​sy ˈȯ-ˌtäp-sē How to pronounce autopsy (audio) ˈȯt-əp- How to pronounce autopsy (audio)
plural autopsies
: an examination of the body after death usually with such dissection as will expose the vital organs for determining the cause of death or the character and extent of changes produced by disease

called also necropsy, postmortem, postmortem examination

autopsy

2 of 2 transitive verb
autopsied; autopsying
: to perform an autopsy on

Legal Definition

autopsy

noun
au·​top·​sy ˈȯ-ˌtäp-sē, -təp- How to pronounce autopsy (audio)
plural autopsies
: an examination of a body after death usually involving dissection especially to determine the cause of death

called also post mortem, post mortem examination

autopsy transitive verb

More from Merriam-Webster on autopsy

Nglish: Translation of autopsy for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of autopsy for Arabic Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about autopsy

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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