Corpus
Noun
- A collection of written texts, especially the entire works of a particular author or a body of writing on a particular subject.
- A collection of written or spoken material in machine-readable form, assembled for the purpose of studying linguistic structures, frequencies, etc.
- (Anatomy) The main body or mass of a structure.
Example Sentences
“I donated the corpus of my favorite authors, Jane Austen and Virginia Woolf, to my local library.”
“You can find F. Scott Fitzgerald’s corpus split between the fiction and short story sections.”
“The professor selected a few works from the corpus on fairy tales to build her syllabus.”
Word Origin
Latin, early 18th century
Why this word?
“Corpus” is Latin for “the body,” and it was used in Middle English to refer to the body of a human or animal in an anatomical sense. Today, “corpus” is used in the humanities to refer to the entire body of work from one author, or on a particular subject. Lexicographers (people who study words and write the dictionary) have another specific use for the word; they call all of the words in the dictionary the “corpus.” There are different corpora (the plural of “corpus”) for different dictionaries. If you pick up copies of Merriam-Webster and the Oxford English Dictionary, the corpora will vary slightly.
top picks in optimism network
Word Daily is part of Optimism, which publishes content that uplifts, informs, and inspires.
-
More brands you’ll love
Elevate Your Everyday
More brands you’ll loveElevate Your Everyday
Subscribe to Better Report to receive tips and tricks that will save you money, maximize your time, and improve your life.
Subscribe to Better Report
By clicking “Subscribe” you’re agreeing to Better Report Terms of Use and Privacy Policy
