Autopsy
noun /ˈɔː.tɒp.si/ — A post-mortem examination to discover the cause of death
Definition
A medical examination of a dead body to determine the cause of death or the extent of disease. The autopsy is the investigation that the living conduct on behalf of the dead — to understand, to account, to know.
Beyond the definition
Autopsy is the word for how we explain death to the living — the investigation that turns absence into knowledge. Used metaphorically: the project autopsy, the relationship autopsy — any examination of what failed and why.
Origin & history
Greek: autopsia (seeing with one's own eyes). From autos (self) + opsis (sight, view). An autopsy is seeing for yourself — the direct examination, with your own eyes, of the evidence.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
The autopsy revealed that the cause of death was not what anyone had suspected.
After the project collapsed, they conducted an autopsy — what had gone wrong, and when.
The autopsy is how the living answer on behalf of the dead.
How to use it
This entry uses a noun. Follow the examples for articles and singular or plural forms; not every noun takes “a” or “an.”
Choose “Autopsy” when the meaning fits your context: A medical examination of a dead body to determine the cause of death or the extent of disease. The autopsy is the investigation that the living conduct on behalf of the dead — to understand, to account, to know.
Synonyms
post-mortem, necropsy, examination
Related words
Autopsy vs biopsy
An autopsy is a post-mortem examination to determine the cause of death. A biopsy is the removal of tissue from a living patient for diagnostic purposes.
Word in the Wild
See how this word appears in life, language and stories.
Illustrative sentences and imagined stories for learning — not verified sightings, interviews, or sourced quotations.
Fictional scene
Investigating Mysterious Traces
An archaeologist studies abstract seals and tablets with a magnifying glass at a desk.
The archaeologist’s close investigation of artifacts is the living’s attempt to understand the past. Like an autopsy, this methodical study accounts for the evidence left behind, seeking to know the history of a subject that can no longer speak for itself.
Image credit: Wordspun · AI-generated conceptual illustration
Questions about this word
What does "Autopsy" mean?
Autopsy is noun meaning: A post-mortem examination to discover the cause of death. A medical examination of a dead body to determine the cause of death or the extent of disease. The autopsy is the investigation that the living conduct on behalf of the dead — to understand, to account, to know.
Where does the word "Autopsy" come from?
Greek: autopsia (seeing with one's own eyes). From autos (self) + opsis (sight, view). An autopsy is seeing for yourself — the direct examination, with your own eyes, of the evidence.