[ 'ɔ:tɒpsi , ɔ:'tɒpsi ]
■ noun ( plural autopsies ) a post-mortem examination to discover the cause of death or the extent of disease.
■ verb ( autopsies , ~ing , autopsied ) perform an ~ on.
Origin
C17 (in the sense 'personal observation'): from Fr. autopsie or mod. L. autopsia , from Gk, from autoptēs 'eyewitness'.