The Spanish word 'cuerpo' meaning 'body' comes directly from the Latin word 'corpus', which also meant 'body'. As Latin evolved into Spanish, the word underwent typical sound changes: the 'o' in 'cor-' became diphthongized to 'ue' (a common Spanish development), and the final '-us' became '-o', resulting in 'cuerpo'.

Several common Spanish words are derived from 'cuerpo', including 'corporal' (bodily), 'corporación' (corporation), and 'incorporar' (to incorporate). These words maintain more of the original Latin spelling pattern with 'corp-' rather than 'cuerp-' because they were borrowed later directly from Latin rather than evolving naturally through Spanish.

Many English words share the same Latin root 'corpus', including 'corpse' (a dead body), 'corps' (as in Marine Corps, originally a body of troops), 'corporate' and 'corporation' (referring to a body of people acting as a single entity), and 'corpulent' (having a large body). The word 'corpus' itself is used in English to refer to a body of written works. Notice how English preserved the original 'corp-' spelling from Latin, while Spanish developed it into 'cuerp-'.