cadavre
/ka.davʁ/masculine
The French word for corpse is cadavre. Wiktionary also lists corps and corps sans vie.
Meaning: dead body (noun)
Ways to say it
| French | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| cadavre | /ka.davʁ/ /ka.dɑvʁ/ |
masculine |
| corps | /kɔʁ/ | masculine |
| corps sans vie | euphemistic, masculine |
In French, cadavre is the most commonly used term to refer to a corpse.
Which one should you use?
While cadavre specifically refers to a dead body, corps is a more neutral term for 'body' that can refer to both the living and the dead. For a more indirect way to speak, you can use the euphemism corps sans vie, which means 'lifeless body'.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Corps sans vie is a euphemistic expression used to avoid the bluntness of the word cadavre.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word corps (meaning body) ends in an 's' in both its singular and plural forms.
How do you pronounce it?
/ka.davʁ/
Did you know?
- In French surrealist art, the cadavre exquis or 'exquisite corpse' is a famous collaborative game where players write phrases on a folded paper without seeing the previous entries.
- The word corps contains a silent 'p' that was added back into the spelling during the Middle French period to remind readers of its Latin root corpus.
- French uses the word corps not only for a physical body but also to describe an organized group, such as a corps diplomatique or 'diplomatic corps'.
Examples in context
- Il faut qu'on cache le corps.We need to hide the corpse.This sentence shows how to use corps to talk about hiding a body.Tatoeba #11231556 by lbdx, translation #2880554 by AlanF_US
- Gabriel a trouvé un cadavre sur la route.Gabriel found a corpse on the road.This sentence illustrates the use of cadavre in a descriptive context.Tatoeba #11757014 by Amastan, translation #11754753 by Amastan
- Edmundo trouva un cadavre en décomposition.Edmundo found a decaying corpse.This sentence uses cadavre to describe a decaying body.Tatoeba #13959786 by Myrano_, translation #11753375 by Amastan
- La découverte d'un cadavre dans la forêt a choqué la communauté.The discovery of a corpse in the forest shocked the community.
- Le médecin légiste a examiné le cadavre pour déterminer la cause du décès.The forensic pathologist examined the corpse to determine the cause of death.
- La police a établi un périmètre de sécurité autour du cadavre.The police established a security perimeter around the corpse.
- 6 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two detectives are arriving at a crime scene.
- LucasRegarde, le cadavre est là-bas.Look, the corpse is over there.
- ManonC'est terrible, il est très pâle.It's terrible, he is very pale.
- LucasLe cadavre n'a pas bougé depuis longtemps.The corpse hasn't moved for a long time.
- ManonAppelons le médecin légiste tout de suite.Let's call the medical examiner right away.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “corpse” translations and entries cadavre, corps, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries cadavre, corps, sans, vie, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
