Meanings
corporal1
- archaicnot comparableHaving a physical, tangible body; material, corporeal.
Into the air; and what seem'd corporal melted as breath into the wind.
c. 1606 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Macbeth”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene iii] - not comparableOf or pertaining to the body, especially the human body; bodily.
corporal suffering
1 more example
corporal punishment
corporal2
plural corporals
- governmentA non-commissioned officer army rank with NATO code OR-4. The rank below a sergeant but above a lance corporal and private.
- A dragonfly of the genus Ladona.
corporal3
Synonyms & antonyms
nounThe white linen cloth on which the elements of the Eucharist are placed; a communion cloth.
More synonyms by meaning
adjectiveaffecting or characteristic of the body as opposed to the mind or spirit
adjectivepossessing or existing in bodily form
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
corporal · adjective
- Latincorpus“body”
- Latincorporālis
- Old Frenchcorporal
- Middle Englishcorporal
- Englishcorporal
From Middle English corporal, corporall, corporel, corporell, from Old French corporal (French corporel), from Latin corporālis, from Latin corpus (“body”); compare corporeal.
More words from Middle English, Old French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →corporal · noun
- Latincaput“head”
- Italiancaporale
- Frenchcaporal
- Englishcorporal
From French caporal, probably influenced by corporal (above), from the Italian caporale, from capo (“head, leader”) from Latin caput (“head”).
More words from French, Italian, Latin
Full word history & related roots →corporal · noun
- Latincorporāle
- Middle Englishcorporall
- Englishcorporal
From Middle English corporall, corporalle, from the Latin corporāle, the neuter of corporālis representing the doctrine of transubstantiation in which the Eucharist becomes the body of Christ.
More words from Middle English, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian ефрейтор
- ефрейтор (efrejtor)military rank
Catalan caporal, corporal
- caporalmilitary rank
- corporalecclesiastical: cloth on which the elements of the Eucharist are placed
Chinese Mandarin 二劃警員 /二划警员
- 二劃警員 /二划警员 (èrhuà jǐngyuán)police rank
Czech desátník, kaprál
- desátníkmilitary rank
- kaprálmilitary rank
Danish korporal
- korporalmilitary rank
Dutch korporaal, corporale
- korporaalmilitary rank
- corporaleecclesiastical: cloth on which the elements of the Eucharist are placed
Esperanto kaporalo
- kaporalomilitary rank
Estonian kapral
- kapralmilitary rank
Finnish hukankorento, alikersantti
- hukankorentodragonfly of the genus Ladona
- alikersanttimilitary rank
- korporaaliecclesiastical: cloth on which the elements of the Eucharist are placed
- korporaaliliinaecclesiastical: cloth on which the elements of the Eucharist are placed
French caporal, corporal
- caporalmilitary rank
- corporalecclesiastical: cloth on which the elements of the Eucharist are placed
German Stabsgefreiter, Oberstabsgefreiter
- Stabsgefreitermilitary rank
- Oberstabsgefreitermilitary rank
- Korporalmilitary rank
- Korporaleecclesiastical: cloth on which the elements of the Eucharist are placed
Greek υποδεκανέας
- υποδεκανέας (ypodekanéas)military rank
Hungarian tizedes, tizedes
- tizedespolice rank
- tizedesmilitary rank
- szakaszvezetőmilitary rank
- káplármilitary rank
Indonesian kopral, korporal
- kopralmilitary rank
- korporalecclesiastical: cloth on which the elements of the Eucharist are placed
- korporaleecclesiastical: cloth on which the elements of the Eucharist are placed
Italian caporale
- caporalemilitary rank
Japanese 伍長
- 伍長 (gochō)military rank
Korean 상병
- 상병 (sangbyeong)military rank
Latin decuriō
- decuriōmilitary rank
Māori kāpara
- kāparamilitary rank
Norwegian Bokmål korporal
- korporalmilitary rank
Norwegian Nynorsk korporal
- korporalmilitary rank
Persian سرجوخه
- سرجوخه (sarjuxe)military rank
Polish kapral, korporał
- kapralmilitary rank
- korporałecclesiastical: cloth on which the elements of the Eucharist are placed
Portuguese cabo, corporal
- cabomilitary rank
- corporalecclesiastical: cloth on which the elements of the Eucharist are placed
Russian капра́л, антими́нс
- капра́л (kaprál)military rank
- антими́нс (antimíns)ecclesiastical: cloth on which the elements of the Eucharist are placed
Scottish Gaelic corpailear
- corpailearmilitary rank
Spanish corporal, cabo
- corporalbodily
- cabomilitary rank
- corporalecclesiastical: cloth on which the elements of the Eucharist are placed
Tagalog kabo, korporal
- kabomilitary rank
- korporalecclesiastical: cloth on which the elements of the Eucharist are placed
- kulpuralisecclesiastical: cloth on which the elements of the Eucharist are placed
Cite this entry
corporal. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/corporal
“corporal.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/corporal. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “corporal,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/corporal.
Source: corporal on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.