Corporal n. (Mil.) A noncommissioned officer, next below a sergeant. In the United States army he is the lowest noncommissioned officer in a company of infantry. He places and relieves sentinels.
Corporal's guard, a detachment such as would be in charge of a corporal for guard duty, etc.; hence, derisively, a very small number of persons.
Lance corporal, an assistant corporal on private's pay.
Ship's corporal (Naut.), a petty officer who assists the master at arms in his various duties.
Corporale, Corporal n. A fine linen cloth, on which the sacred elements are consecrated in the eucharist, or with which they are covered; a communion cloth.
Corporal oath, a solemn oath; so called from the fact that it was the ancient usage for the party taking it to touch the corporal, or cloth that covered the consecrated elements.
adjective
Corporal adj.
1.
Belonging or relating to the body; bodily. "Past corporal toil.""Pillories and other corporal infections."
Corporal punishment (law), punishment applied to the body of the offender, including the death penalty, whipping, and imprisonment.
2.
Having a body or substance; not spiritual; material. In this sense now usually written corporeal. "A corporal heaven...where the stare are.""What seemed corporal melted As breath into the wind."
Synonyms:Corporal, Bodily, Corporeal. Bodily is opposed to mental; as, bodily affections. Corporeal refers to the whole physical structure or nature, of the body; as, corporeal substance or frame. Corporal, as now used, refers more to punishment or some infliction; as, corporal punishment. To speak of corporeal punishment is an error. Bodily austerities; the corporeal mold.
... this is your Kriegsgott; throned in a free-and-easy fashion. In regard to that of Sentries, I believe there do come up from Potsdam nightly a corporal and six rank-and-file; but perhaps it is at a later hour; perhaps they sit within doors, silent, not to make noises. Another gentleman, of sauntering nocturnal habits, testifies to having, one night, seen the King actually asleep in bed, the doors being left ... — History of Friedrich II. of Prussia, Vol. XXI. (of XXI.) • Thomas Carlyle Read full book for free!
... need the shells now!" spoke the thought of Dellarme's men, which he had anticipated by a word to the signal corporal, who waved his flag one—two—three—four—five times. Come on, now, with more of your special brand of death, fire-control officer! Your own head is above the sky-line, though your guns are hidden. Five hundred yards beyond the knoll is ... — The Last Shot • Frederick Palmer Read full book for free!
... two might have been met without surprise in almost any society. Some, again, were thorough-going blackguards, and others, who were among the most popular and the best soldiers, were incurably rackety and undisciplined. One man, who had thrice won his stripes as full corporal, was for the third time broken and reduced to the ranks during my first month of service. He would keep away from drink for two or three years at a time, and then in a night would undo all the results of hard work and self-denial. Take the ... — The Making Of A Novelist - An Experiment In Autobiography • David Christie Murray Read full book for free!
... the immediate consideration of Congress. Its system of crimes and punishments had undergone no change for half a century until the last session, though its defects have been often and ably pointed out; and the abolition of a particular species of corporal punishment, which then took place, without providing any substitute, has left the service in a state of defectiveness which calls for prompt correction. I therefore recommend that the whole subject be revised without ... — State of the Union Addresses of Millard Fillmore • Millard Fillmore Read full book for free!
... Campbell reported, about the close of 1771: "Since Fort Frederick at the entrance of St. John's river has been dismantled and the garrison, which formerly consisted of an officers' command, reduced to a corporal and four privates, he had had frequent complaints of the Indians on the river." The presence of a half dozen soldiers was of little utility at any time and of no utility whatever after the Revolution began. It was not until the erection ... — Glimpses of the Past - History of the River St. John, A.D. 1604-1784 • W. O. Raymond Read full book for free!
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