Did you know?
The Various Uses of Corporal
The adjective corporal today usually appears in the phrase corporal punishment, which means "bodily punishment". This used to include such acts as mutilation, branding, imprisonment, and even death. But today execution comes under the separate heading of "capital punishment", which originally involved losing your head (capit- meaning "head"). Milder forms of corporal punishment are used by American parents, and were once common in schools as well. Corporal is occasionally used in other ways; in the traditional church, the "corporal works of mercy" include seven helpful acts such as sheltering the homeless and burying the dead. Corporal as a military rank actually comes from caporal—which has the same root as capital.
Synonyms
Examples of corporal in a Sentence
Sarah Nelson, The Indianapolis Star, 14 Nov. 2024
The resolution, which was approved by the Antioch City Council 4-0 on Tuesday night, will pay the department’s sergeants, corporals, officers, community service officers, and dispatch personnel who work extra shifts double-time pay, which is twice the standard rate.
—Hema Sivanandam, The Mercury News, 13 Nov. 2024
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, Fox News, 18 Oct. 2024
Two weeks prior, Chigvintsev was arrested on accusations of corporal injury to spouse in Napa, Calif. on Aug. 29.
—Esther Kang, People.com, 4 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for corporal 
Dictionary Entries Near corporal
Cite this Entry
“Corporal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/corporal. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
corporal
1 of 2 adjective
corporal
2 of 2 nounMedical Definition
corporal
adjective
Share