1.
rigor mortis; postmortem rigidity
The biochemical stiffening of the muscles that occurs in a body within hours after death and gradually subsides over the next day or two. A key piece of evidence used in forensic medicine to estimate time of death.
Composed of 死後 (after death) and 硬直 (stiffening; rigidity). The compound is the standard medical and forensic term, with no commonly used native-Japanese alternative.
Usage
A technical term that appears chiefly in medical, forensic, and legal contexts: autopsy reports, crime fiction, news coverage of suspicious deaths, and biology textbooks. Outside of these contexts the word is rare in everyday conversation. The phenomenon itself is described with verbs like 始まる (begin), 進む (progress), and 解ける (be released, subside).
Common collocations
- 死後硬直が始まる: rigor mortis sets in
- 死後硬直が解ける: rigor mortis subsides
- 死後硬直の進行: progression of rigor mortis
- 死後硬直時間: the time period of rigor mortis
Similar words
- 硬直: stiffening; rigidity — the general term, also used metaphorically (e.g., 思考の硬直 'rigidity of thought')
- 死斑: livor mortis; postmortem lividity — another postmortem indicator used to estimate time of death
- 検死: postmortem inspection of a body — the procedure in which rigor mortis is observed
- 遺体: a (deceased) body — the object on which rigor mortis is observed