Definitions
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun Same as
necroscopy .
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun (Med.) A post-mortem examination or inspection; an autopsy. See
autopsy .
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun The pathological dissection of a
corpse ; particularly to determine cause of death. Applicable to the examination of any life form. - verb The act of performing a necropsy.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun an examination and dissection of a dead body to determine cause of death or the changes produced by disease
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
Support
Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word necropsy.
Examples
-
The only difference between a necropsy and an autopsy is that the word necropsy is more usually applied to animals.
MetaFilter 2009
-
It took me YEARS to forget the smell of the dolphin necropsy I once observed! (
mrissa: That stinks. mrissa 2010
-
I've spent some time today contemplating why it is that what I always thought of as an autopsy is called a necropsy in all of my current working environments.
scorpi07 Diary Entry scorpi07 2004
-
But the results of an animal autopsy on each dog, called a necropsy, were inconclusive, said American spokeswoman Mary Frances Fagan.
Dose.ca Music briefs Jon Hilkevitch 2010
-
An autopsy on the whale, known as a necropsy, would have to be done to narrow down the cause of death, Anna Hall said Monday, "but I would think that based on the wounds that I saw, it was killer-whale predation."
-
When an animal is dead, we perform a necropsy, which is an animal autopsy.
-
An animal autopsy, called a necropsy, was performed on the bison in the field with the help of two veterinarians.
-
An animal autopsy, called a necropsy, was performed on the bison in the field with the help of two veterinarians.
-
A necropsy is the term for a post-mortem examination performed on an animal or inanimate object.
Citizendium, the Citizens' Compendium - Recent changes [en] 2009
-
A necropsy is a less romantic way of dealing with an elephant's death, but it does, at least, contribute to scientific knowledge of the physiology of the species, which is another kind of monument.
Torontoist 2009
chained_bear commented on the word necropsy
"On January 2, a team of scientists ... began a necropsy—measuring and photographing the carcass and collecting blood and tissue samples that would later help them determine what the whale had been suffering from."
--Nathaniel Philbrick, In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex, 232
May 1, 2008
awils1 commented on the word necropsy
Stedman's Concise Medical Dictionary for the Health Professions lists it as a synonym for autopsy.
August 3, 2008
wackyvorlon commented on the word necropsy
It is not exactly a synonym for autopsy. Autopsy comes from the greek, auton, meaning "self". Necropsy is properly applied to animals, autopsy to humans. Confusion in this regard vexes me greatly.
September 23, 2008
qms commented on the word necropsy
Old Yeller died not from the dropsy.
The lump that they found in necropsy
Was a radio playing
His musical baying
And tuned to the Grand Old Opry.
March 12, 2016
bilby commented on the word necropsy
I'm devastated that our old bunny buddies Cottontail, Flopsy and Mopsy couldn't get a gig in this limerick.
March 13, 2016
qms commented on the word necropsy
I had not been informed of their demise. A case of drunken joyriding, I expect. I will look into the matter.
March 13, 2016
qms commented on the word necropsy
I cannot confirm that Peter, Cottontail, Mopsy and Flopsy are eligible for necropsy, but I have learned more of their story.
It has been many a long year since I last consulted the tale of Peter and company. If, like me, you need to refresh your memory, you can do so here.
The seeds of the unhappiness to come are evident in this seemingly innocent history. Note, for instance, that Mrs Rabbit is guilty of euphemism of criminal proportion in warning against going to Farmer McGregor's garden : '...your Father had an accident there; he was put in a pie by Mrs. McGregor.'
What followed was inevitable and sadly familiar.
As youngsters undoubtedly cute,
But grown they are broken-home fruit.
It's what to expect
From mother's neglect
And a dad who departed en croute.
Now Flopsy, that infamous floozy,
Like Mopsy is idle and boozy.
That wretch Cottontail
Is headed for jail
But Pilfering Pete's the true doozy.
Mere cuteness is no sturdy crutch
And social work didn't help much.
So mired in bad habits
This sad clan of rabbits
Will do some hard time in the hutch.
March 14, 2016
vendingmachine commented on the word necropsy
WOTD https://www.wordnik.com/word-of-the-day/2016/3/12 includes this sentence among the EXAMPLES:
"A necropsy is the term for a post-mortem examination performed on an animal or inanimate object."
How can one determine the cause of death for something never alive?
March 30, 2016
bilby commented on the word necropsy
Wow, only just caught up on qms's fine work! Capital!
March 30, 2016
alexz commented on the word necropsy
No Disassemble! - Johnny 5
March 30, 2016
qms commented on the word necropsy
Thank you, bilby. I had assumed the general silence was out of grief for lost innocence.
March 30, 2016