corporeal · adj — material; tangible; physical. It carries an Arena rating of 1636, earned across 10 head-to-head judged battles.
Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, corporeal ranks #2,380 of 17,147 for Most Malleable Words, #4,882 of 17,148 for Scariest Words, #5,499 of 17,154 for Best Fossil-Poetry Words, #5,963 of 17,137 for Most Elegant Words.
corporeal is pronounced /kɔːɹˈpɔːɹiəl/.
Why “corporeal” is a great word
Relating to the tangible, physical substance of a body. From Middle English *corporealle*, from Latin *corporeus* (“bodily”), from *corpus* (“body”) + *-al*. Unlike "incorporeal," which denies substance, or "spiritual," which transcends it, corporeal insists on sheer materiality. It is the shocking warmth of blood on skin, the unmistakable resistance of water against a swimmer's stroke, and the slow, inescapable drag of fatigue through muscle and bone—the profound fact of being a thing that occupies space, displaces air, and will, inevitably, be worn down by it.
❧ Essay by Lexicurio’s AI · definition, etymology & citations from published sources
Etymology
From Middle English corporealle, equivalent to Latin corporeus + -al, from corpus (“body”); compare corporal.
adj
- Material; tangible; physical.e.g.“His omnipotence That to corporeal substance could add Speed almost spiritual.” — 1667, John Milton, “(please specify the page number)”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker,
- Pertaining to the body; bodily; corporal.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
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