post mortem

A doctor performs a post mortem examination in a laboratory.

Definition

1. Noun:

   • Medical examination: "post mortem" refers to a medical examination of a dead body to determine the cause of death, also known as an autopsy.
   • Discussion after an event: Informally, "post mortem" means a detailed analysis or discussion of a completed event, project, or performance to evaluate what went right or wrong.

2. Adverb:

   • After death: Used to describe something that happens or is done after a person has died.

3. Adjective:

   • Occurring after death: Describes actions or events that take place after someone's death.

Usage Examples

• Noun:

  • The coroner performed a post mortem to determine the cause of death. (A medical examination of the body after death.)
  • After the project failed, the team held a post mortem to discuss what went wrong. (A critical review of the completed project.)

• Adverb:

  • The will was read post mortem. (The reading of the will occurred after the person's death.)

• Adjective:

  • The post mortem examination revealed no foul play. (The examination conducted after death showed no evidence of crime.)

Advanced Usage

• "post mortem report": a written document detailing the findings of an autopsy.

  • The post mortem report listed the cause of death as a heart attack.

• "post mortem analysis": a systematic review of a completed event, often used in business or software development.

  • The software team conducted a post mortem analysis of the system crash to prevent future failures.

Variants and Related Words

• Postmortem (adj, n): a common spelling variant without the space, used interchangeably with "post mortem."

  • The postmortem for the game showed that the final level was too difficult. (An analysis after the game's release.)

• Autopsy (n): a synonym specifically for the medical examination of a dead body.

  • The autopsy confirmed the post mortem findings.

Synonyms

• Autopsy: a medical examination of a corpse to determine cause of death.
• Review: a general assessment or critique of a completed event.
• Debrief: a discussion after a task or mission to evaluate performance.

Related Idioms

• "Post mortem on a corpse": a literal phrase referring to the medical procedure.

  • The doctor performed a post mortem on the corpse to look for signs of poisoning.

• "Post mortem of a project": a figurative use in business or technology.

  • We need a thorough post mortem of the marketing campaign to learn from our mistakes.