plural necropsies
: autopsy sense 1
especially : an autopsy performed on an animal

necropsy

2 of 2

verb

necropsied; necropsying

transitive verb

: to perform an autopsy on

Did you know?

Human autopsies are generally performed either to determine the cause of death or to observe the deadly effects of a disease for research or education purposes. Autopsies may be necessary when tracking an epidemic; they're also performed to discover whether a death might actually have resulted from murder, and if so, what evidence it might reveal that could help catch the murderer. Animal necropsies are actually more common than human autopsies, since a farmer with livestock is always concerned that whatever killed one animal not pose a threat to the others.

Examples of necropsy in a Sentence

Noun a necropsy failed to definitively establish a cause of death
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
The dogs were transported by animal control to the UConn Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory for necropsies. Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 17 Dec. 2024 The organizations were not able to conduct a full necropsy because of concerns about opening up and examining the whale on the beach, said Michael Milstein, a spokesman for NOAA Fisheries' west coast region. Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 18 Mar. 2024
Verb
Her body was brought to SeaWorld, where a team of pathologists and biologists from several organizations, including the University of Florida and Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute, worked overnight to necropsy the animal and take samples. Max Chesnes, Anchorage Daily News, 13 Jan. 2023 Thanks to @MassDFG @A_WhiteShark and @GregSkomal for recovering this juvenile white #shark and coordinating with us to necropsy it. Steve Annear, BostonGlobe.com, 6 July 2022 See all Example Sentences for necropsy 

Word History

Etymology

Noun

necr- + -opsy (in autopsy), probably after French nécropsie

Verb

derivative of necropsy entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

circa 1842, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1927, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of necropsy was circa 1842

Dictionary Entries Near necropsy

Cite this Entry

“Necropsy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/necropsy. Accessed 5 Jan. 2025.

Kids Definition

necropsy

noun
nec·​rop·​sy
ˈnek-ˌräp-sē
plural necropsies
: autopsy
especially : an autopsy performed on an animal

Medical Definition

necropsy

1 of 2 noun
plural necropsies
: autopsy
especially : an autopsy performed on an animal

necropsy

2 of 2 transitive verb
necropsied; necropsying
: to perform an autopsy especially on an animal

More from Merriam-Webster on necropsy

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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