[cor.pus] n, pl cor.po.ra [ME, fr. L] (15c) 1: the body of a human or animal esp. when dead
2. a: the main part or body of a bodily structure or organ "the ~ of the uterus" b: the main body or corporeal substance of a thing; specif: the principal of a fund or estate as distinct from income or interest 3 a: all the writings or works of a particular kind or on a particular subject; esp: the complete works of an author b: a collection or body of knowledge or evidence; esp: a collection of recorded utterances used as a basis for the descriptive analysis of a language