Noun: corpus delicti (corpora delicti) 'kor-pus di'lik-tI
- (law) the body of evidence that constitute the offence; the objective proof that a crime has been committed (sometimes mistakenly thought to refer to the body of a homicide victim)
"The prosecution presented the corpus delicti to prove that the crime had indeed occurred"
Derived forms: corpora delicti
Type of: evidence
Encyclopedia: Corpus delicti