corporal1

[kawr-per-uh l, -pruh l] /ˈkɔr pər əl, -prəl/
adjective
1.
of the human body; bodily; physical:
corporal suffering.
2.
Zoology. of the body proper, as distinguished from the head and limbs.
3.
personal:
corporal possession.
4.
Obsolete, corporeal; belonging to the material world.
Origin
1350-1400; Middle English corporall (< Anglo-French) < Latin corporālis bodily, equivalent to corpor- (stem of corpus corpus) + -ālis -al1
Related forms
corporality, noun
corporally, adverb
Synonyms
1. material. See physical.

corporal2

[kawr-per-uh l, -pruh l] /ˈkɔr pər əl, -prəl/
noun
1.
Military.
  1. a noncommissioned officer ranking above a private first class in the U.S. Army or lance corporal in the Marines and below a sergeant.
  2. a similar rank in the armed services of other countries.
2.
(initial capital letter) a U.S. surface-to-surface, single-stage ballistic missile.
Origin
1570-80; < Middle French, variant of caporal (influenced by corporal corporal1) < Italian caporale, apparently contraction of phrase capo corporale corporal head, i.e., head of a body (of soldiers). See caput
Related forms
corporalcy, corporalship, noun

corporal3

[kawr-per-uh l, -pruh l] /ˈkɔr pər əl, -prəl/
noun, Ecclesiastical
1.
a fine cloth, usually of linen, on which the consecrated elements are placed or with which they are covered.
Also called communion cloth.
Origin
1350-1400; Middle English corporalle < Medieval Latin corporale (pallium) eucharistic (altar cloth); replacing earlier corporas < Old French < Latin, as above
Examples from the web for corporal
  • Tenure meetings and dissertation defenses would be prime occasions for the administering of corporal punishment.
  • It's not a huge leap then to see children as having nascent civil rights that conflict with regular corporal punishment.
  • The corporal draws a circle on the ground with a baseball bat and orders the prisoners to dig a deep hole.
  • Americans began experimenting with incarceration as a humane alternative to corporal punishment in the late seventeenth century.
  • If there is consensus in the community that the act merits more serious sanctions, corporal punishment is initiated.
  • She always wept at the sight of any grievous corporal distress, and much more for any spiritual misery of her neighbour.
  • For he had no theoretical objection to corporal punishment.
  • For it is faulty both in place and time, the two necessary companions of all corporal actions.
  • The corporal distemper above-mentioned only left him to be succeeded by violent colics.
  • It is not always that school children are benefited by a rule forbidding corporal punishment.
British Dictionary definitions for corporal

corporal1

/ˈkɔːpərəl; -prəl/
adjective
1.
of or relating to the body; bodily
2.
an obsolete word for corporeal
Derived Forms
corporality, noun
corporally, adverb
Word Origin
C14: from Latin corporālis of the body, from corpus body

corporal2

/ˈkɔːpərəl; -prəl/
noun
1.
a noncommissioned officer junior to a sergeant in the army, air force, or marines
2.
(in the Royal Navy) a petty officer who assists the master-at-arms
Derived Forms
corporalship, noun
Word Origin
C16: from Old French, via Italian, from Latin caput head; perhaps also influenced in Old French by corps body (of men)

corporal3

/ˈkɔːpərəl; -prəl/
noun
1.
a white linen cloth on which the bread and wine are placed during the Eucharist
Word Origin
C14: from Medieval Latin corporāle pallium eucharistic altar cloth, from Latin corporālis belonging to the body, from corpus body (of Christ)
Word Origin and History for corporal
n.

lowest noncommissioned army officer, 1570s, from Middle French corporal, from Italian caporale "a corporal," from capo "chief, head," from Latin caput "head" (see capitulum). So called because he was in charge of a body of troops. Perhaps influenced by Italian corpo, from Latin corps "body." Or corps may be the source and caput the influence, as the OED suggests.

adj.

"of or belonging to the body," late 14c., from Old French corporal (12c., Modern French corporel) "of the body, physical, strong," from Latin corporalis "pertaining to the body," from corpus (genitive corporis) "body" (see corps). Corporal punishment "punishment of the body" (as opposed to fine or loss of rank or privilege) is from 1580s. Related: Corporality.