postmortem

[pohst-mawr-tuhm]

adjective

1. of, relating to, or occurring in the time following death.

2. of or relating to examination of the body after death.

3. occurring after the end of something; after the event.

   a postmortem criticism of a television show.

adverb

1. after death.

   Pacemakers have to be removed postmortem from bodies that are going to be cremated.

noun

1. Medicine/Medical.,  a postmortem examination; autopsy.

2. an evaluation or discussion occurring after the end or fact of something.

   to do a postmortem on the decision of a court.

3. Cards.,  a discussion of the bidding or playing of a previous hand.

postmortem

/ pəʊstˈmɔːtəm /

adjective

1. (prenominal) occurring after death

noun

1. analysis or study of a recently completed event

   a postmortem on a game of chess

2. See postmortem examination

postmortem

1. Autopsy; figuratively, any analysis that follows an event: “When the convention is over, we'll have a postmortem to find ways of improving it for next year.” From Latin, meaning “after death.”

Word History and Origins

Origin of postmortem¹

First recorded in 1725–35, postmortem is from Latin post mortem “after death”

Word History and Origins

Origin of postmortem¹

C18: from Latin, literally: after death

Example Sentences

The postmortem report cited cardiorespiratory shock from electrical current at multiple sites as the cause of death, occurring 36 to 72 hours before the autopsy conducted on 1 May.

From BBC

The coroner's office in Surrey told the BBC that after a postmortem, it had determined that Kapur died of natural causes.

From BBC

Any postmortem needs to examine not just the message, but also the medium.

From Los Angeles Times

A postmortem of Mr Rickards' body showed he had been strangled weeks before his death and was also recovering from recent rib fractures, according to the CPS.

From BBC

The department said that specialist postmortem examinations are not always required, but where they are, this is mostly carried out in Dublin with some regional services in Cork and Galway.

From BBC

Related Words

• autopsy 
• dissection