[rig-er mawr-tis, or, especially Brit., rahy-gawr] 
| the stiffening of the body after death. |
| rigor mor·tis (môr'tĭs) n. Muscular stiffening following death. [Latin : rigor, stiffness + mortis, genitive of mors, death.] |
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.”
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. |