early 15c., "united in one body, constituted as a legal corporation," as a number of individuals empowered to do business as an individual, in early use often of municipalities, from Latin corporatus, past participle of corporare "make or fashion into a body, furnish with a body," also "to make into a corpse, kill," from corpus (genitive corporis) "body" (from PIE root *kwrep- "body, form, appearance"). The past participle, corporatus, also was used as a noun meaning "member of a corporation."
In reference to any body of persons united in a community from c. 1600. Related: Corporately; corporateness.
It forms all or part of: corporal (adj.) "of or belonging to the body;" corporate; corporation; corporeal; corps; corpse; corpulence; corpulent; corpus; corpuscle; corsage; corse; corset; incorporeal; incorporate; leprechaun; midriff.
It is the hypothetical source of/evidence for its existence is provided by: Sanskrit krp- "form, body;" Avestan kerefsh "form, body;" Latin corpus "body" (living or dead); Old English hrif "belly," Old High German href "womb, belly, abdomen."
"town or city having corporate privileges of local self-government," 1789, from French municipalité, from municipal (see municipal).
1650s, "occupier of a chair of authority," from chair (n.) + man (n.). Meaning "member of a corporate body chosen to preside at meetings" is from c. 1730. Chairwoman in this sense first attested 1699; chairperson 1971.
late 15c., "a guide," from Anglo-French directour, French directeur, agent noun from Latin dirigere "set straight, arrange; give a particular direction to," from dis- "apart" (see dis-) + regere "to direct, to guide, keep straight" (from PIE root *reg- "move in a straight line").
Corporate sense of "one of a number of persons having authority to manage the affairs of a company" is from 1630s; theatrical sense of "the leader of a company of performers" is from 1911.
