coroner

[ kawr-uh-ner, kor- ]

noun

1. an officer, as of a county or municipality, whose chief function is to investigate by inquest, as before a jury, any death not clearly resulting from natural causes.

coroner

/ ˈkɒrənə /

noun

1. a public official responsible for the investigation of violent, sudden, or suspicious deaths and inquiries into treasure trove. The investigation ( coroner's inquest ) is held in the presence of a jury ( coroner's jury ) See also procurator fiscal Compare medical examiner

Derived Forms

• ˈcoronerˌship, noun

Other Words From

• coro·ner·ship noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of coroner¹

1225–75; Middle English < Anglo-French corouner supervisor of the Crown's pleas, equivalent to coroune crown + -er -er ²

Word History and Origins

Origin of coroner¹

C14: from Anglo-French corouner officer in charge of the pleas of the Crown, from Old French corone crown

Example Sentences

At the inquest in Northampton, senior coroner Anne Pember said the provisional cause of death was "manual strangulation pending toxicology and histology".

From BBC

"The service fully accepts the coroner's findings and has taken a number of actions as a result of its investigations."

From BBC

Concluding the inquest, coroner Oliver Longstaff said the evidence was clear that Miss Senior had “undertaken some research on how to end one’s life” and had attempted to do so on two previous occasions.

From BBC

In his conclusion, the senior coroner for Inner South London said he was worried that a lack of regulation around medicines such as Aviva's feed might lead to future deaths.

From BBC

Assistant coroner Kirsten Heaven told the inquest it was “unfortunate” that there wasn’t more detailed evidence, photography and forensic analysis of the area.

From BBC