/ ˈkɔːpərəl; NAmE ˈkɔːrp-/ noun
( abbr. Cpl ) a member of one of the lower ranks in the army, the marines or the British air force :
Corporal Smith
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WORD ORIGIN
mid 16th cent.: from French , obsolete variant of caporal , from Italian caporale , probably based on Latin corpus , corpor- body (of troops), with a change of spelling in Italian due to association with capo head.