autopsy
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autopsy
The medical examination of a corpse in order to determine the cause of death and other pathological changes. A synonym is post-mortem examination.
Die Autopsie ergab, dass der Tod durch eine Vergiftung eintrat.
The autopsy showed that the death was caused by poisoning.
The word comes from Greek: 'autós' means 'self' and 'opsis' means 'seeing'. An 'Autopsie' (autopsy) is therefore literally a 'self-viewing'—the doctor establishes certainty about the cause of death with their own eyes.
Die Autopsie ist ein wichtiger Teil der gerichtsmedizinischen Arbeit.
The autopsy is an important part of forensic medical work.
You can tell whether the literal or figurative meaning is meant from the object. If the word refers to a body ('an einer Leiche' — on a corpse), it is the medical examination. If it refers to an abstract concept ('eines Projekts' — of a project, 'einer Niederlage' — of a defeat), it is the analysis of a failure.
Die Autopsie an dem Verstorbenen dauerte mehrere Stunden.
The autopsy on the deceased person took several hours.
In a medical context, 'Autopsie' (autopsy) is often combined with the verbs 'durchführen' (to carry out), 'vornehmen' (to perform), or 'anordnen' (to order). The examination takes place 'an' (on) a person or corpse, with the dative.
Der Staatsanwalt hat eine Autopsie angeordnet, um die Todesursache zu klären.
The public prosecutor ordered an autopsy to determine the cause of death.
The figurative meaning is often used in politics or management. It always describes the analysis of something that has already ended negatively, such as an election defeat or a failed project.
Nach der Insolvenz folgte eine genaue Autopsie der Geschäftsentscheidungen.
After the bankruptcy, a detailed post-mortem analysis of the business decisions followed.
analysis
'die Analyse' and 'die Autopsie' can both mean a detailed examination. However, 'die Analyse' is much more general: you can analyze data, texts, problems, or processes. 'die Autopsie' normally means the medical examination of a corpse. In a figurative sense, you can also speak of an 'Autopsie' when examining very closely why something failed. In that case, the word sounds stronger and more critical than 'Analyse'.
Die Autopsie soll klären, woran der Patient gestorben ist.
The autopsy is meant to clarify what the patient died of.
Nach der Analyse der Daten versteht das Team den Fehler besser.
After analyzing the data, the team understands the error better.