medical examiner
- noun
- /ˈmɛdɪkəl ɪɡˈzæmɪnər/
- Formal
- The family was anxious to hear the medical examiner's findings regarding their loved one's death.
- state medical examiner
- county medical examiner
- medical examiner said
If you find stuff before the Emmy gets there, the medical examiner, take your pictures, document everything.
- If you find stuff before the Emmy gets there, the medical examiner, take your pictures, document everything.
- And, and then it was also, it was also Westchester County 'cause it was their medical examiner who, who did the fraud.
Examples
-
At that hearing, the assistant state medical examiner testified that X-rays indicated two bullets remained in the brain.
Academic text (1993) -
The young man, Frank Russo, had been dead for 3 days according to the medical examiner.
-
We are waiting on the medical examiner, but you can identify the body.
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How experienced is your medical examiner?
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The medical examiner sent this over.
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We're gonna have to notify the medical examiner... and they may request an autopsy.
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The first shot in this case had been instantly fatal, the medical examiner had concluded.
Fiction book (1997) -
The other reason I'm here is to tell you the medical examiner's ready to release Mrs. Klein's body.
Fiction book (1996) -
The medical examiner conducted an autopsy to determine the cause of death.
-
After the accident, the medical examiner investigated the scene for evidence.
Synonyms
An official who investigates sudden or unexplained deaths
An old name for an official who investigates unexplained deaths
How Specialized
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is compositionally predictable: 'medical' (relating to medicine) combined with 'examiner' (someone who inspects or evaluates) yields a person who examines medical matters. Although the role is a specialized forensic/legal function (investigating certain deaths), that specific professional sense is inferable from the constituents and the adjective+noun pattern is cross-linguistically transparent for learners.
Etymology
Medical examiner comes from the simple idea of a medical person, meaning a doctor, who is an examiner of dead bodies to find why someone died. So, it means 'an official doctor who investigates deaths'.