What does autopsying mean?
Autopsying is the present participle and gerund of the verb 'to autopsy', meaning to carry out a post-mortem examination — the careful dissection and inspection of a dead body by a pathologist or medical examiner to establish the cause and manner of death. It is used chiefly in forensic, legal, and medical contexts: a coroner may spend hours autopsying a body to determine whether death resulted from natural causes, accident, suicide, or homicide. The word also has a newer, informal figurative use, describing the painstaking analysis of something that has already ended — a failed business venture or a lost election, for example — as if it were being dissected to learn what went wrong. Derived from Greek roots meaning 'seeing for oneself', the term carries a clinical, methodical connotation, suggesting rigor and objectivity rather than morbidity. While 'perform an autopsy on' remains the more formal phrasing in official documents, 'autopsying' is widely understood and common in journalism.
verbThe present participle and gerund of the verb 'autopsy': to perform an examination of a dead body to determine the cause of death.
- (of a pathologist or medical examiner) to perform an autopsy on (a body), dissecting it to determine the cause of death
- (figurative, informal) to examine or scrutinize something in exhaustive detail after the fact
"The pathologist spent the morning autopsying the unidentified body found near the river."
"The medical examiner was autopsying the victim when police identified him through fingerprints."
"Analysts spent weeks autopsying the failed product launch to understand what went wrong."
The word 'autopsy' literally means 'seeing for yourself' in Greek — so when a pathologist is autopsying, they are quite simply looking with their own eyes.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of autopsying
The verb 'autopsy' comes from the Greek 'autopsia', formed from 'autos' (self) and 'opsis' (a seeing), literally meaning 'the act of seeing with one's own eyes'. The noun entered English in the mid-17th century originally referring to direct personal observation or firsthand examination; its specific application to the dissection of corpses to determine cause of death developed later, becoming standard by the 19th century. The verbal use followed naturally from the noun, giving rise to forms like 'autopsied' and 'autopsying'. Cognate formations sharing the Greek root include 'autoptic' and other 'auto-' compounds such as 'autograph' and 'autonomous'.
Related word forms
How autopsying is actually used
'Autopsy' as a verb is well established but some style guides prefer 'perform an autopsy on'; the gerund 'autopsying' appears mainly in forensic, journalistic, and figurative contexts. The figurative sense (scrutinizing something after failure) is informal and relatively recent.
Easily confused with autopsying
A biopsy is the removal and examination of tissue from a living patient to diagnose disease, whereas an autopsy is the examination of a dead body to determine cause of death.