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Where does the word "rigor mortis" come from? It comes from Latin rigor mortis, and was adopted directly into English (1830s).
Read the full story
Where does the word "rigor mortis" come from? It comes from Latin rigor mortis, and was adopted directly into English (1830s).
Rigor mortis’s story begins in Latin: rigor mortis meant “stiffness of death.” 'stiffness of death'. It reached English by 1830s as rigor mortis. Taken into medical and forensic English. Today, rigor mortis means the stiffening of the body after death.
- Stage 1 · Latin · ancient rigor mortis "stiffness of death", 'stiffness of death'.
- Stage 2 · English · 1830s rigor mortis "death stiffening", taken into medical and forensic English.