- body
- bod•y[[t]ˈbɒd i[/t]] n. pl. bod•ies,1) anat.a) the physical structure and material substance of an animal, plant, or other organismb) anat. the trunk, torso, or main mass of an animal, as opposed to the head, limbs, or appendagesc) anat. zool. a corpse; carcass2) cv archit. naut. aer. the main or central mass of a thing, as the hull of a ship, the fuselage of a plane, or the nave of a church3) trs the section of a vehicle, usu. in the shape of a box, cylindrical container, or platform, in or on which passengers or the load is carried4) pri the shank of a type, supporting the face5) math. a geometric figure having the three dimensions of length, breadth, and thickness; a solid6) phs Physics. a mass, esp. one considered as a whole7) the major portion of an army, population, etc8) the principal part of a speech or document9) Informal. a person:What's a body to do?[/ex]10) law Law. the physical person of an individual11) a collective group12) substance; consistency or richness:a wine with good body; Wool has more body than rayon[/ex]13) cer the basic material of which a ceramic article is made14) to provide with or as if with a body15) to represent in bodily form (usu. fol. by forth)16) of or pertaining to the body; bodily17) of or pertaining to the main reading matter of a book, article, etc., as distinguished from headings, prefaces, or the like•Etymology: bef. 900; ME; OE bodig; akin to OHG potah syn: body, carcass, corpse, cadaver all refer to a physical organism, usu. human or animal. body denotes the material substance of a human or animal, either living or dead: the muscles in a horse's body; the body of an accident victim. carcass means the dead body of an animal, unless applied humorously or contemptuously to the human body: a sheep's carcass; Save your carcass. corpse usu. refers to the dead body of a human being: preparing a corpse for burial. cadaver refers to a dead body, usu. a human one used for scientific study: dissection of cadavers in anatomy classes.
From formal English to slang. 2014.
