Etymology

habeas corpus

Today it means: A writ ordering that a person be brought before a court or a judge, most frequently used to ensure that a person's imprisonment, detention, or commitment is legal. Full definition →

Latin habeas corpus ad subiciendum
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The story

  1. Latin · derived fromhabeas corpus ad subiciendum“You (shall) have the body to be subjected to (examination)”
  2. English todayhabeas corpus

From Latin habeas corpus ad subiciendum (“You (shall) have the body to be subjected to (examination)”), referring to the body of the detainee (not the body of a victim, similar to corpus delicti).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.