coroner

Meaning

Noun

• A public official who presides over an inquest into unnatural deaths, cases of treasure trove, and debris from shipwrecks.
• A medical doctor who performs autopsies and determines time and cause of death from a scientific standpoint.
• The administrative head of a sheading.

Related

Similar words

• autopsier

Narrower meaning words

• medical examiner, ME

Origin

• From Middle English coroner, from Old French curuner, from Medieval Latin custos placitorum coronae. The function was originally to protect royal properties.