What does corporeal mean?
Corporeal is an adjective describing anything that has a physical, tangible body or substance — as opposed to what is spiritual, mental, or immaterial. When philosophers distinguish between the corporeal and the incorporeal, they are asking whether something exists as matter you could, in principle, touch: a corporeal being has flesh and form, while angels, souls, and ideas are traditionally held to be incorporeal. The word also carries the secondary sense of simply 'bodily', relating to the physical self — one might speak of corporeal needs like hunger or fatigue. Formal and slightly literary in register, corporeal appears most often in philosophy, theology, law, and academic prose, where precise distinctions between matter and spirit matter. It derives from the Latin corporeus, from corpus meaning 'body' — the same root behind corpse and corporation — making its history as concrete as its meaning.
Having a physical body or material substance; tangible as opposed to spiritual, mental, or immaterial.
"The theologian questioned whether demons could take on a corporeal shape."
In law, 'corporeal hereditaments' and 'corporeal property' denote tangible assets.
Of or relating to the body; bodily.
"Fasting was believed to discipline not just the mind but the corporeal appetites as well."
This sense is less common today and appears mainly in formal or historical writing.
Corporeal and corpse come from the same Latin root — so every time you say something has a corporeal form, you're quietly acknowledging it's made of the same stuff that eventually becomes a corpse.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of corporeal
Corporeal comes from the Latin corporeus, derived from corpus, meaning 'body'. The word entered English in the late Middle English period, borrowed through Old French or directly from Latin, and has retained its core sense of bodily or material substance ever since. It shares this Latin root with cognates such as corporal, corpse, corps, corporation, and incorporate, all of which trace back to corpus.
How corporeal is actually used
Corporeal is a formal, somewhat literary word. In legal contexts, 'corporeal property' refers to tangible assets (land, goods) as opposed to intangible ones (rights, patents). It is more common in philosophical, theological, and academic writing than everyday speech.
Easily confused with corporeal
Corporal most commonly means relating to the body as a rank in the military (a corporal) or in phrases like 'corporal punishment', while corporeal emphasizes having physical or bodily substance as opposed to being spiritual or intangible.