rigor mortis
noun
rig·or mor·tis 
ˌri-gər-ˈmȯr-təs,
also chiefly British
ˌrī-ˌgȯ-ˈmȯ-təs : temporary rigidity of muscles occurring after death
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Rigor mortis, which translates from Latin as "stiffness of death", sets in quickly and usually ends three or four days after death. The condition results from a lack of certain chemicals in the muscles; it may be affected by muscular activity before death as well as the external temperature. Mystery writers frequently make use of rigor mortis as a means by which the detective or the examiner can determine the time of the victim's death, which often turns out to be all-important in solving the case.
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web His arms are locked at 90-degree angles at the elbow from rigor mortis and his stomach is bloated. 
Kevin Maurer, Rolling Stone, 28 Aug. 2022 The body showed signs of rigor mortis, the department said. Andrew Dyer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Dec. 2021 Serna was found dead in the same position, and rigor mortis had already begun to set in when paramedics arrived an hour later, the report said. Jeanine Santucci, USA TODAY, 5 Nov. 2021 The police officer initially wrote that Slater's body was in rigor mortis. Nancy Kaffer, Detroit Free Press, 20 May 2021 Flight staff once moved a body into a lavatory for safe keeping only to find that the corpse, stiffened by rigor mortis, got stuck behind the bathroom door. Ellen Gamerman, WSJ, 12 May 2021 Mortuaries throughout the Indian capital are overstretched, the doctor says, and bodies sometimes lie around uncovered among the living till the muscles harden and rigor mortis sets in. Time, 7 May 2021 In rigor mortis the inhibition of ATP, the basic unit of energy within a cell, triggers a release of calcium into the muscles. Christopher Crockett, Scientific American, 2 Aug. 2013 On Tuesday, in his postmortem for a season that entered rigor mortis five weeks ago, Rangers general manager Jon Daniels laid out in some detail a plan for the future. Evan Grant, Dallas News, 30 Sep. 2020 See More
Kevin Maurer, Rolling Stone, 28 Aug. 2022 The body showed signs of rigor mortis, the department said. Andrew Dyer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Dec. 2021 Serna was found dead in the same position, and rigor mortis had already begun to set in when paramedics arrived an hour later, the report said. Jeanine Santucci, USA TODAY, 5 Nov. 2021 The police officer initially wrote that Slater's body was in rigor mortis. Nancy Kaffer, Detroit Free Press, 20 May 2021 Flight staff once moved a body into a lavatory for safe keeping only to find that the corpse, stiffened by rigor mortis, got stuck behind the bathroom door. Ellen Gamerman, WSJ, 12 May 2021 Mortuaries throughout the Indian capital are overstretched, the doctor says, and bodies sometimes lie around uncovered among the living till the muscles harden and rigor mortis sets in. Time, 7 May 2021 In rigor mortis the inhibition of ATP, the basic unit of energy within a cell, triggers a release of calcium into the muscles. Christopher Crockett, Scientific American, 2 Aug. 2013 On Tuesday, in his postmortem for a season that entered rigor mortis five weeks ago, Rangers general manager Jon Daniels laid out in some detail a plan for the future. Evan Grant, Dallas News, 30 Sep. 2020 See More Word History
Etymology
New Latin, stiffness of death
First Known Use
1847, in the meaning defined above
Medical Definition
rigor mortis
noun
rig·or mor·tis
ˌrig-ər-ˈmȯrt-əs also chiefly British ˌrī-ˌgȯ(ə)r-
: temporary rigidity of muscles occurring after death
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