body

[ bod-ee ]

noun

, plural bod·ies.

1. the physical structure and material substance of an animal or plant, living or dead.
2. a corpse; carcass.
3. the trunk or main mass of a thing:

   the body of a tree.

   Synonyms: bulk, main

4. Anatomy, Zoology. the physical structure of a human being or animal, not including the head, limbs, and tail; trunk; torso.
5. Architecture. the principal mass of a building.
6. the section of a vehicle, usually in the shape of a box, cylindrical container, or platform, in or on which passengers or the load is carried.
7. Nautical. the hull of a ship.
8. Aeronautics. the fuselage of a plane.
9. Printing. the shank of a type, supporting the face.
10. Geometry. a figure having the three dimensions of length, breadth, and thickness; a solid.
11. Physics. a mass, especially one considered as a whole.
12. the major portion of an army, population, etc.:

    The body of the American people favors the president's policy.

    Synonyms: majority, preponderance, multitude, throng, group, mass

    Antonyms: few, scattering, handful

13. the principal part of a speech or document, minus introduction, conclusion, indexes, etc.
14. a person:

    She's a quiet sort of body.

15. Law. the physical person of an individual.
16. a collective group:

    student body;

    corporate body.

17. Also called heav·en·ly bod·y [hev, -, uh, n-lee , bod, -ee]. Astronomy. an object in space, as a planet or star.
18. a separate physical mass or quantity, especially as distinguished from other masses or quantities.
19. consistency or density; richness; substance:

    This wine has good body.

    Wool has more body than rayon.

20. the part of a dress that covers the trunk or the part of the trunk above the waist.
21. Ceramics. the basic material of which a ceramic article is made.

verb (used with object)

, bod·ied, bod·y·ing.

1. to invest with or as with a body.
2. to represent in bodily form (usually followed by forth ).

adjective

1. of or relating to the body; bodily.
2. of or relating to the main reading matter of a book, article, etc., as opposed to headings, illustrations, or the like.

body

/ ˈbɒdɪ /

noun

1. 1. the entire physical structure of an animal or human being corporealphysical
   2. ( as modifier )

      body odour

2. the flesh, as opposed to the spirit

   while we are still in the body

3. the trunk or torso, not including the limbs, head, or tail
4. a dead human or animal; corpse
5. the largest or main part of anything

   the body of a plant

   the body of a vehicle

6. a separate or distinct mass of water or land
7. the main part; majority

   the body of public opinion

8. the central part of a written work

   the body of a thesis as opposed to the footnotes

9. a number of individuals regarded as a single entity; group

   the student body

   they marched in a body

10. maths a three-dimensional region with an interior
11. physics an object or substance that has three dimensions, a mass, and is distinguishable from surrounding objects
12. fullness in the appearance of the hair
13. the characteristic full quality of certain wines, determined by the density and the content of alcohol or tannin

    a Burgundy has a heavy body

14. substance or firmness, esp of cloth
15. the sound box of a guitar, violin, or similar stringed instrument
16. a woman's close-fitting one-piece garment for the torso
17. the part of a dress covering the body from the shoulders to the waist
18. another name for shank
19. 1. the pigment contained in or added to paint, dye, etc
    2. the opacity of a paint in covering a surface
    3. the apparent viscosity of a paint
20. in watercolour painting
    1. a white filler mixed with pigments to make them opaque
    2. ( as modifier ) See also gouache

       body colour

21. printing the measurement from top to bottom of a piece of type, usually ascender to descender
22. an informal or dialect word for a person
23. keep body and soul together
    to manage to keep alive; survive
24. modifier of or relating to the main reading matter of a book as distinct from headings, illustrations, appendices, etc

    the body text

verb

1. usually foll by forth to give a body or shape to

Word History and Origins

Origin of body¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English bodig; akin to Old High German botah

Word History and Origins

Origin of body¹

Old English bodig ; related to Old Norse buthkr box, Old High German botah body

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. in a body, as a group; together; collectively:

   We left the party in a body.

2. keep body and soul together, to support oneself; maintain life:

   Few writers can make enough to keep body and soul together without another occupation.

More idioms and phrases containing body

• keep body and soul together
• over my dead body

Synonym Study

Body, carcass, corpse, cadaver agree in referring to a physical organism, usually human or animal. Body refers to the material organism of an individual, human or animal, either living or dead: the muscles in a horse's body; the body of a victim ( human or animal ). Carcass refers only to the dead body of an animal, unless applied humorously or contemptuously to the human body: a sheep's carcass; Save your carcass. Corpse refers only to the dead body of a human being: preparing a corpse for burial. Cadaver refers to a dead body, usually a corpse, particularly one used for scientific study: dissection of cadavers in anatomy classes.

Related Words

• individual
• party
• person