autopsy

noun

au·​top·​sy ˈȯ-ˌtäp-sē How to pronounce autopsy (audio)
ˈȯ-təp-
plural autopsies
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

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 An autopsy was performed Wednesday; however, a cause of death could take eight to 12 weeks to be determined and a toxicology report would take longer, a clerk for the coroner’s office confirmed Friday to The Times. Nardine Saad, Los Angeles Times, 15 Mar. 2024 Police said the investigation into the death remains ongoing, and an autopsy will be conducted to determine the exact cause of the female passenger’s death. Julia Moore, Peoplemag, 14 Mar. 2024 Gizmodo asked the coroner’s office if an autopsy had been performed on Barnett. Lucas Ropek / Gizmodo, Quartz, 12 Mar. 2024 An autopsy was slated to be performed to determine the woman's cause of death, authorities said. USA TODAY, 4 Mar. 2024 So, on a brisk February morning, more than a dozen forensic examiners and chemists from northern Mexican states piled into the Denver Office of the Medical Examiner to watch the autopsy of a middle-aged man found dead on his garage floor. Natalie Kitroeff Meridith Kohut, New York Times, 3 Mar. 2024 A day after he was found, an assistant medical examiner conducted an autopsy of Jacarie's body, which had fractures in both arms and in his right ribs. Elizabeth Maline, NBC News, 27 Feb. 2024 An autopsy will be performed to determine the man’s cause of death, police said. Paloma Chavez, Sacramento Bee, 4 Mar. 2024 An autopsy will be performed to determine the woman’s cause of death, authorities said. Abigail Adams, Peoplemag, 1 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'autopsy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

1678, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of autopsy was in 1678

Dictionary Entries Near autopsy

Cite this Entry

“Autopsy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/autopsy. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

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

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