rigor mortis definition | Dictionary.com

rig⋅or mor⋅tis

[rig-er mawr-tis, or, especially Brit., rahy-gawr]

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–noun

the stiffening of the body after death.

Origin:
1830–40; < L: lit., stiffness of death

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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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rigor mor·tis (môr'tĭs)

n. Muscular stiffening following death.

[Latin : rigor, stiffness + mortis, genitive of mors, death.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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rigor mortis [(rig-uhr mawr-tis)]

Stiffening of the muscles of the body that occurs after death. Rigor mortis is Latin for “stiffness of death.”

Note: Figuratively, rigor mortis refers to an absence of flexibility or vitality: “By the time the school finally closed, rigor mortis had set in in nearly every department.”

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Main Entry: rig·or mor·tis
Pronunciation: "rig-&r-'mort-&s also chiefly Brit "rI-"go(&)r-
Function: noun
: temporaryrigidity of muscles occurring after death

Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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rigor mortis rigor mor·tis (môr'tĭs)
n.
Muscular stiffening following death. Also called postmortem rigidity.

rigor mortis (rĭg'ər môr'tĭs) Pronunciation Key
Muscular stiffening following death, resulting from the unavailability of energy needed to interrupt contraction of the muscle fibers.

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