corpus
5 synonyms for corpus, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Noun — A large collection of written or spoken material, especially one used for language study.
Synonyms
Everyday swaps
Common words most readers know — safe in any writing.
Less common
Still standard English, but they carry more weight.
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
body of work
How to use corpus
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
text corpus
linguistic corpus
corpus of work
Etymology
Borrowed directly from Latin corpus, "body." A doublet of "corpse" and "corps".
Full origin of corpus →Frequently asked questions
What does “corpus” mean?
The word “corpus” means a large collection of written or spoken material, especially one used for language study. In plain terms, a large gathered body of texts or work, often used for research.
How do you pronounce “corpus”?
“Corpus” is pronounced KAW-puhs (/ˈkɔɹpəs/ in IPA).
How do you use “corpus” in a sentence?
Here is “corpus” used in a sentence: “Linguists analyzed word frequency using a corpus of news articles.”
What part of speech is “corpus”?
“Corpus” is a noun.
Where does the word “corpus” come from?
The word “corpus” comes from Latin. Borrowed directly from Latin corpus, "body." A doublet of "corpse" and "corps".
Is “corpus” a common word?
“Corpus” is an uncommon word in modern English, usually learned at around the C2 level.
How many meanings does “corpus” have?
“Corpus” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a large collection of written or spoken material, especially one used for language study.
What is the difference between a "corpus" and a "database"?
A corpus is specifically a large collection of written or spoken material, especially one compiled for language study, whereas a database is a broader term for any organized collection of data, not necessarily language. Linguists use a corpus to analyze patterns in real language use, such as word frequency or grammar trends.
What does "corpus" mean outside of linguistics?
Outside linguistics, "corpus" can refer more generally to the main body or bulk of something, such as a body of work, evidence, or knowledge on a subject. This broader sense is common in legal, academic, and general writing.
Is "corpus" a singular or plural word?
"Corpus" is singular; its plural form is "corpora." This Latin-derived pattern is important to get right in academic or linguistic writing, where referring to multiple text collections requires the plural "corpora."
