# rigor mortis

> English word · Noun

## Definitions
1. Temporary stiffness of the body's muscles and joints following death.

## Etymology
Learned borrowing from New Latin rigor mortis (literally “stiffness of death”). First attested in 1842.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/rigor-mortis