corporal
corporal Lexical Profile
corporal Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Relating to or affecting the human body, especially in the context of physical punishment.
"The school district officially banned all forms of corporal punishment several decades ago."
• noun
A junior noncommissioned officer in the armed forces or police, ranking immediately above a lance corporal or private first class and below a sergeant.
"The young corporal was promoted after demonstrating exceptional leadership during the training exercise."
A small white linen cloth placed on the altar during the celebration of the Christian Eucharist, upon which the chalice and paten are set.
"Before the service began, the sacristan carefully unfolded the starched corporal on the center of the altar."
Word Nuance & Usage
The adjective 'corporal' (relating to the physical body, especially in 'corporal punishment') is frequently confused with 'corporeal' (having a material body as opposed to a spiritual existence) and 'corporate' (relating to a business corporation).
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
The adjective derives from Late Latin 'corporalis' ('relating to the body'), from 'corpus' ('body'). The military rank is a separate borrowing via Middle French 'caporal', from Italian 'caporale' ('leader of a detachment'), derived from 'capo' ('head'), which was altered in English by association with 'corpus'.