coroner

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“
The Liberal Democrats said the catalogue of errors recorded by the coroner were a "shattering blow" to the MoD's credibility.

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Definitions (8)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (2)

  1. noun A public officer whose primary function is to investigate by inquest any death thought to be of other than natural causes.
  2. Word History
    Coroner comes from Anglo-Norman corouner, a word derived from coroune, "crown.” Corouner was the term used for the royal judicial officer who was called in Latin custos placitorum coronae, or "guardian of the crown's pleas.” The person holding the office of coroner, a position dating from the 12th century, was charged with keeping local records of legal proceedings in which the crown had jurisdiction. He helped raise money for the crown by funneling the property of executed criminals into the king's treasury. The coroner also investigated any suspicious deaths among the Normans, who as the ruling class wanted to be sure that their deaths were not taken lightly. At one time in England all criminal proceedings were included in the coroner's responsibilities. Over the years these responsibilities decreased markedly, but coroners have continued to display morbid curiosity. In the United States, where there is no longer the crown, a coroner's main duty is the investigation of any sudden, violent, or unexpected death that may not have had a natural cause.

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Examples (50)

  • The inspector met the doctor later and remarked that the coroner was an old ass who had rushed the case through because he was going yachting and wanted to catch the tide, but that he (the inspector) did not intend to let the case drop. —  The Murder of Busy Lizzie - Gladys Mitchell - Bradley 46: 1973
  • It seems the coroner was already there a settin' on a corp' that had come up in the eddy. —  The Man from the Bitter Roots
  • What steps ought we to take You should give notice to the coroner--I will manage the police--and you should communicate with one of the executors of the will Mr. Jellicoe No, not Mr. Jellicoe, under the peculiar circumstances. —  The Eye of Osiris
  • Even the evidence given before the coroner was utterly unreliable. —  The Doctor of Pimlico Being the Disclosure of a Great Crime
  • You see, the coroner is bound to look into it a bit. —  Half a Hero A Novel
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Etymologies (2)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. Middle English, officer of the crown, from Anglo-Norman corouner, from coroune, crown, from Latin corōna; see crown.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (1)

  1. from Middle English coroner, from Anglo-French coroneor (modern F. coroner, from English), from Middle Latin (Anglo-Latin) coronator, a coroner, literally a crowner, one who crowns (from Latin coronare, crown: see crown, v.; in later English also called crowner: see crowner), but used as equivalent to Middle Latin coronarius, properly adjective, a crown officer, from Latin corona, a crown: see crown, n.
 

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/ˈkɑrənər/
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