Meaning
An autopsy is a medical examination of a dead body performed by a doctor (usually a pathologist) to discover the cause of death or the extent of a disease or injury. It is also called a post-mortem examination.
Grammar and Usage
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Part of speech: Noun
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Countable: You can say an autopsy or several autopsies.
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Typical usage:
- perform an autopsy
- undergo an autopsy (for the body)
- the results/findings of an autopsy
Common Phrases
- perform an autopsy – to carry out the medical procedure.
- autopsy report – the written document stating the findings.
- cause of death confirmed by autopsy – phrase used in legal/medical contexts.
Collocations
- perform/conduct an autopsy
- order an autopsy
- autopsy report/results/findings
- preliminary autopsy
- forensic autopsy
Examples
- The doctor performed an autopsy to determine the cause of death.
- The autopsy revealed that the man had suffered a heart attack.
- The police ordered an autopsy after finding the body under suspicious circumstances.
- According to the autopsy report, there were no signs of foul play.
- The family requested a second autopsy to confirm the findings.
- Forensic experts conducted an autopsy as part of the investigation.
- The autopsy confirmed that the victim had been poisoned.
- A preliminary autopsy suggested that the accident caused fatal injuries.
Synonyms or Related
- post-mortem (examination)
- necropsy (more common in veterinary medicine)
- forensic examination
Antonym
- biopsy (examination of living tissue, opposite of examining a dead body)