corporal

¹

[ kawr-per-uhl, -pruhl ]

adjective

1. of the human body; bodily; physical:

   corporal suffering.

   Synonyms: material

2. Zoology. of the body proper, as distinguished from the head and limbs.
3. personal:

   corporal possession.

4. Obsolete. corporeal; belonging to the material world.

corporal

²

[ kawr-per-uhl, -pruhl ]

noun

, Military.

1. 1. a noncommissioned officer ranking above a private first class in the U.S. Army or lance corporal in the Marines and below a sergeant.
   2. a similar rank in the armed services of other countries.
2. Corporal, a U.S. surface-to-surface, single-stage ballistic missile.

corporal

³

[ kawr-per-uhl, -pruhl ]

noun

, Ecclesiastical.

1. a fine cloth, usually of linen, on which the consecrated elements in the Eucharist are placed or with which they are covered.

corporal

¹

/ -prəl; ˈkɔːpərəl /

adjective

1. of or relating to the body; bodily
2. an obsolete word for corporeal

corporal

²

/ -prəl; ˌkɔːpəˈreɪlɪ; ˈkɔːpərəl /

noun

1. a white linen cloth on which the bread and wine are placed during the Eucharist

corporal

³

/ ˈkɔːpərəl; -prəl /

noun

1. a noncommissioned officer junior to a sergeant in the army, air force, or marines
2. (in the Royal Navy) a petty officer who assists the master-at-arms

Derived Forms

• ˌcorpoˈrality, noun
• ˈcorporally, adverb
• ˈcorporalˌship, noun

Other Words From

• corpo·rali·ty noun
• corpo·ral·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of corporal¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English corporal, corporel, from Old French corporal and Latin corporālem, from corporālis “bodily, physical,” equivalent to corpor- (stem of corpus “body” (alive or dead) + -ālis adjective ending; -al ¹

Origin of corporal²

First recorded in 1570–80; from Middle French corporal, variant of cap(p)oral (influenced by adjective corporal “bodily”), from Italian caporale, apparently a contraction of the phrase capo corporale “corporal head, bodily head” that is, head of a body (of soldiers); See caput, corporal ¹

Origin of corporal³

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English corporal(le), from Medieval Latin corporālis (palla), corporāle (pallium) “eucharistic (altar cloth)”; replacing earlier corporas, corporaus, from Old French corporaus, corporals, from Latin corporālis (palla), as above; pall ¹( def ), pallium

Word History and Origins

Origin of corporal¹

C14: from Latin corporālis of the body, from corpus body

Origin of corporal²

C14: from Medieval Latin corporāle pallium eucharistic altar cloth, from Latin corporālis belonging to the body, from corpus body (of Christ)

Origin of corporal³

C16: from Old French, via Italian, from Latin caput head; perhaps also influenced in Old French by corps body (of men)

Synonym Study

See physical.

Example Sentences

In an act of corporal punishment that we at the Daily Beast do not condone, Joseph grabbed Him by the ear and “pulled hard.”

From The Daily Beast

By the end of his life, the memories of corporal punishment at the hands of his teachers were vivid.

From The Daily Beast

Moreover, corporal punishment has the undesirable quality that the more you use it, the less effective it becomes.

From The Daily Beast

In fact, 19 states, including Texas, still allow corporal punishment in schools.

From The Daily Beast

The marksman, a lance corporal in the Coldstream Guards, was 930 yards from his target when he squeezed the trigger.

From The Daily Beast

The corporal, rather chalky-looking under his tan, stepped forward and laid a hand on MacRae's shoulder.

From Project Gutenberg

The guerrillas had hung the body of the corporal from a tree and there it dangled over the road, a gruesome object.

From Project Gutenberg

After he was securely bound he was forced to stand while the two, with foul epithets, hung the body of the corporal over the road.

From Project Gutenberg

A corporal immediately exclaimed, "I'm too deep already; I am up to the middle."

From Project Gutenberg

The bronze seemed to deepen in the corporal's face, but it was turned steadily towards his officer.

From Project Gutenberg