English Reference
Noun

cadaver

n. countable
C2 Proficiency US /kəˈdævɝ/ UK /kɐdˈævɐ/ ca·dav·er UK spelling cadavers Medicine

n.a dead body, especially one used for medical study or research. It is a formal and slightly scary word for a corpse.

n.a dead body, particularly one used for anatomical study or medical research. Often carries a clinical or macabre connotation in literary contexts.


SIMPLE

The medical students studied the cadaver in the lab.

CONTEXTUAL

During the anatomy course, students spent several weeks examining a human cadaver to understand the structure of the muscles and bones.

COMPLEX

The museum's collection includes a preserved cadaver that was once used to teach surgical techniques before the advent of modern imaging technology.

Lodge, 58, took parts from cadavers and sold them online in a scheme that allegedly ran from 2018 to 2021.

BBC News· 19 Aug 2026

Prosecutors said this had involved the theft and sale of organs, skin, brains and dissected heads from cadavers donated to Harvard from 2018 through at least March 2020.

The Guardian· 18 Aug 2026

From Middle English cadaver, from Latin cadāver.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Origin Latin cadāver
Level C2 · Proficiency
Frequency Occasional
Updated