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The Various Uses of Corporal
The adjective corporal today usually appears in the phrase corporal punishment, which means "bodily punishment". This used to include such acts as mutilation, branding, imprisonment, and even death. But today execution comes under the separate heading of "capital punishment", which originally involved losing your head (capit- meaning "head"). Milder forms of corporal punishment are used by American parents, and were once common in schools as well. Corporal is occasionally used in other ways; in the traditional church, the "corporal works of mercy" include seven helpful acts such as sheltering the homeless and burying the dead. Corporal as a military rank actually comes from caporal—which has the same root as capital.
Examples of corporal in a Sentence
Samara Gerstle, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 July 2025
Hamilton County deputies are raising money for a corporal who was recently diagnosed with brain cancer.
—Courtney King, The Enquirer, 4 July 2025
Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 22 July 2025
Pope Francis was also a product of a Jesuit order in fantastic and decadent decline, often needlessly characterizing orthodox Christian belief as an enemy of charity or an obstacle to the corporal works of mercy.
—The Editors, National Review, 21 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for corporal
Cite this Entry
“Corporal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/corporal. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
corporal
1 of 2 adjective
corporal
2 of 2 nounMedical Definition
corporal
adjective
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