German word

Leiche

Pronunciation

IPA/ˈlaɪ̯çə/

Meaning

  • feminine noundead body

Example

Taucher zogen eine Leiche aus dem Fluss.

Divers pulled a dead body from the river.

Illustration for Leiche (dead body)

More examples

Im Wald fanden Spaziergänger eine Leiche und alarmierten die Polizei.

In the woods, walkers found a dead body and alerted the police.

Core concept

A person is no longer alive, leaving a body that can be recovered, examined, or buried.

Common phrases

  • eine Leiche identifizieren

    identify a corpse

  • eine Leiche bergen

    recover a corpse

Similar words

Verstorbene: A softer term for a deceased person among relatives or during funeral arrangements.
Leichnam: A literary or formal term for a dead human body in medical or forensic work.
Toter: A straightforward term for a dead person.
Kadaver: The body of a dead animal; for people, the term may sound demeaning.

Definition in German

Leiche bezeichnet den toten Körper eines Menschen, häufig in medizinischem oder polizeilichem Zusammenhang.

Word origin

The modern form Leiche developed from Old High German lih through Middle High German liche, within the same Germanic word family as English lich.

Usage tips

  • Leichnam is a more formal or literary alternative to Leiche and also denotes a dead human body.

Other meanings

  • corpsenoun
  • remainsnoun

Opposites

  • Lebendeliving personnoun

Related words

  • Leichnamcorpsenoun
  • leichenblassdeathly paleadjective

Word lists with this word