Webster
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Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary · 1913

Corporal

Cor′po·ral (kôr′pō·ral), n. [Corrupted fr. F. caporal, It. caporale, fr. capo head, chief, L. caput. See Chief, and cf. Caporal.] (Mil.) A noncommissioned officer, next below a sergeant. In the United States army he is the lowest noncommissioned officer in a company of infantry. He places and relieves sentinels.

Corporal's guard, a detachment such as would be in charge of a corporal for guard duty, etc.; hence, derisively, a very small number of persons. — Lance corporal, an assistant corporal on private's pay. Farrow. — Ship's corporal (Naut.), a petty officer who assists the master at arms in his various duties.

Cor′po·ral, a. [L. corporalis, fr. corpus body. See Corpse.] 1. Belonging or relating to the body; bodily. "Past corporal toil." Shak.

Pillories and other corporal infections. Milton.

Corporal punishment (law), punishment applied to the body of the offender, including the death penalty, whipping, and imprisonment.

2. Having a body or substance; not spiritual; material. In this sense now usually written corporeal. Milton.

A corporal heaven . . . .where the stare are. Latimer.

What seemed corporal melted As breath into the wind. Shak.

Syn. — Corporal, Bodily, Corporeal. Bodily is opposed to mental; as, bodily affections. Corporeal refers to the whole physical structure or nature, of the body; as, corporeal substance or frame. Corporal, as now used, refers more to punishment or some infliction; as, corporal punishment. To speak of corporeal punishment is an error. Bodily austerities; the corporeal mold.

Cor′po·ral (kôr′pō·ral), Cor′po·ra′le (-r?′l?), n. [LL. corporale: cf. F. corporal. See Corporal,a.] A fine linen cloth, on which the sacred elements are consecrated in the eucharist, or with which they are covered; a communion cloth.

Corporal oath, a solemn oath; — so called from the fact that it was the ancient usage for the party taking it to touch the corporal, or cloth that covered the consecrated elements.

Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Noah Porter, editor (Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913). Public domain. Text as transcribed by MICRA, Inc., from Project Gutenberg. Changed for Deep Dive Bible: Greek, which our source spelled in Latin letters, set in Greek letters; entries of one spelling merged into one article; Greek words our source left out (shown as “?”), read from the 1898 printing, from the same plates (the Library of Congress’s copy), where the place could be found with certainty. Of the others, 1,362 (a word or a single letter each) were inferred by AI from the context by the dictionary’s own rules and are marked with a wavy underline (tap or point at one to see the note); the rest, which could not be inferred with confidence, are left as “?”.