Corporal
/ˈkɔːr.pər.əl/noun
Relating to the body or a military rank below sergeant.
Did you know?The same Latin root *corpus* also gave English words like **corpse** and **corpulent**, so *corporal* began as a very literal “body” word before becoming a rank in the army.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*kʷer-
“to form, make, or shape”
Latin
Latin
corpus
“body”
Late Latin
Latin
corporalis
“of the body; bodily”
Old French
OFr
corporal
“bodily; physical”
Middle English
English
corporal
“bodily; pertaining to the body”
16th Century
English
corporal
“a military rank originally associated with the body of troops”
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