rigor mortis
noun · verb
Simple meaning
Temporary stiffness of joints and muscular rigidity occurring after death.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
rigermawrtisSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈɹɪɡɚˈmɔɹtɪs
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
Temporary stiffness of joints and muscular rigidity occurring after death
Temporary stiffness of the body's muscles and joints following death.
verb
To stiffen the muscles and joints with, or as if with, rigor mortis.
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: Temporary stiffness of joints and muscular rigidity occurring after death
Used this way, rigor mortis is a reasonably familiar word with a clearly unfavourable pull. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Negative
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Moderate
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Serious and weighty
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
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