corporeal

At its core, "corporeal" refers to the tangible, physical substance of a being. The fundamental image is that of flesh, bone, and blood—the heavy, material reality of existence as opposed to the ethereal or spiritual.

It carries a highly formal and often clinical or philosophical connotation. While "physical" is a general-purpose term, "corporeal" specifically emphasizes the biological shell or the 'body' as a distinct entity from the mind or soul.

In usage, it frequently appears in contexts involving theology (the corporeal form of a deity), law (corporeal property), or horror/fantasy (a corporeal manifestation of a ghost). It often evokes a sense of limitation or vulnerability—the fragility and decay inherent to having a physical body.