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body definition

body (bäd′ē)

noun pl. bodies bod′·ies

  1. the whole physical structure and substance of a human being, animal, or plant
    1. the trunk or torso of a human being or animal
    2. the part of a garment that covers the trunk
  3. a dead person; corpse
  4. the flesh or material substance, as opposed to the spirit
  5. Informal a human being; person
  6. a group of people or things regarded or functioning as a unit a body of soldiers, an advisory body
  7. the majority of a number of people or things
  8. the main or central part of anything; specif.,
    1. the part of an automobile, truck, etc. that holds the load or passengers; the part of a vehicle that is not the chassis
    2. the hull of a ship
    3. the fuselage of an aircraft
    4. the main part of a piece of writing as distinguished from headings and introductory or supplementary matter
    5. the sound box of a stringed instrument
  9. anything having real or material substance or form; any physical or perceptible object
  10. any of the natural objects seen in the visible heavens the sun, moon, planets, stars, etc. are celestial bodies
  11. a separate portion or mass of matter a body of land or water
  12. substance, density, or consistency, as of a liquid or fabric
  13. richness or fullness of tone or flavor
  14. Law a person or something legally regarded as a person
  15. Printing the shank of a piece of type

Etymology: ME bodi, bodig < OE bodig, trunk, chest, orig. sense “cask,” akin to MLowG boddike, tub for brewing, OHG botah; prob. < It bottega, shop < L apotheca: see apothecary

transitive verb bodied bod′·ied, bodying bod′y·ing

  1. to give a body or substance to; make substantial
  2. to make part of; embody
body Idioms

body forth

  1. to give shape or form to
  2. to symbolize or represent

keep body and soul together

to stay alive

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Alternate definitions:

idioms body idiom

medical body definition - medical

body Synonyms

body

n.

  1. The physical structure of a human or animal

    frame, corporeal frame, physique, anatomy, form, figure, shape, make, mortal part, build, physical makeup, flesh and bones, carcass*, tenement of clay*.

  2. A corpse

    corpse, cadaver, dead body, remains, corpus delicti (Latin), dust, clay, carcass, relics, the dead, the deceased, the departed, mummy, skeleton, ashes, carrion, organic remains, mortal remains, bones, reliquiae (Latin), cold meat*, stiff*.

  3. The torso

    trunk, figure, form, shape, build.

  4. The central portion of an object

    chassis, basis, groundwork, frame, fuselage, assembly, trunk, hull, bed, box, substructure, skeleton, scaffold, anatomy, bones*, guts*; see also essence 1, foundation 2.

  5. The central portion of a composition

    dissertation, discourse, thesis, treatise, argument, material, heart, evidence, demonstration, exposition, gist; see also basis 1, essence 1, theory 1.

    Antonyms introduction*, preface*, preamble. *

  6. Individuals having an organization

    society, group, party; see organization 3.

  7. A unified or organized mass

    aggregate, mass, bulk, variety; see collection 2, whole.

  8. Full consistency

    substance, fullness, richness, thickness; see consistency 2, density 1.

body refers to the whole physical substance of a person or animal, whether dead or alive; corpse and the euphemistic remains refer to a dead human body; carcass is used of the dead body of an animal or, contemptuously or humorously, of the living or dead body of a human being; cadaver refers primarily to a dead human body used for medical dissection

keep body and soul together

stay alive, endure, earn a living; see survive 1.

over one's dead body

not if one can help it, not on one's life, by no means, not at all, no way*.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

body Usage Examples

Converse of subject

  • absorb: This heat kills the salmonella and neutralizes the Avidin to allow it to be digested and absorbed by the body.

Converse of object

  • govern: Managing the modern bank The 1998 Bank of England Act made changes to the Bank's governing body too.

Adjective modifier

  • regulatory: The Radon Council are a non profit making regulatory body for the radon industry.

Modifies a noun

  • weight: By quantity, we mean enough food for you to maintain a healthy body weight.

Noun used with modifier

  • umbrella: NCVO National Council for Voluntary Organizations Lots of resources from the main UK umbrella body for charities.
body usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

body quotes

Pange, lingua, gloriosi Corporis mysterium, Sanguinisque pretiosi, Quem in mundi pretium Fructus ventris generosi Rex effudit gentium. Now, my tongue, the mystery telling Of the glorious Body sing, And the Blood, all price excelling, Which the Gentiles' Lord and King, In aVirgin's womb once dwelling, Shed for this world's ransoming.

-Aquinas, StThomas

You too can have a body like mine!

-Atlas, Charles

His harmonical and ingenious soul did lodge in a beautiful and well proportioned body. He was a spare man†. He was so fair that they called him the lady of Christ's College.

-Aubrey,John

body quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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"body." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 4 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/body>

APA Style

body. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 4th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/body

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