'corpse' originates from Old French, specifically the word 'cors' or 'corps', where Latin 'corpus' meant 'body'.

'corpse' changed from Middle English forms such as 'cors' and 'corpse' (influenced by Old French 'cors/corps'), ultimately deriving from Latin 'corpus'. The modern spelling, with a silent 'p', was influenced by French orthography.

Initially it meant 'body' (from Latin 'corpus'), but over time in English it came to be used specifically for a 'dead body' rather than any body.