Skip to content

The word for today is…

corporal (noun, adjective, noun):

noun (1)
: a noncommissioned officer ranking in the army above a lance corporal and below a sergeant

adjective
: of, relating to, or affecting the body

noun (2)
: a linen cloth on which the eucharistic elements are placed

Source : Merriam -Webster

Etymology :The adjective corporal today usually appears in the phrase corporal punishment, which means “bodily punishment”. This used to include such acts as mutilation, branding, imprisonment, and even death. But today execution comes under the separate heading of “capital punishment”, which originally involved losing your head (capit- meaning “head”). Milder forms of corporal punishment are used by parents, and were once common in schools as well. Corporal is occasionally used in other ways; in the traditional church, the “corporal works of mercy” include seven helpful acts such as sheltering the homeless and burying the dead. Corporal as a military rank actually comes from caporal—which has the same root as capital.

If you enjoyed this BFD word of the day please consider sharing it with your friends and, especially, your children.

Latest