ha ‧ be ‧ as cor ‧ pus /ˌheɪbiəs ˈkɔːpəs $ -ˈkɔːr-/ BrE AmE noun [uncountable]
[ Date: 1400-1500 ; Language: Latin ; Origin: 'you should have the body' (the first words on the document which demands that the person should be allowed to come to court) ]
law a law which says that a person can only be kept in prison following a court’s decision