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.
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, esp. 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.
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.
Astronomy. an object in space, as a planet or star.
18.
a separate physical mass or quantity, esp. 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)
22.
to invest with or as with a body.
23.
to represent in bodily form (usually fol. by forth).
–adjective
24.
of or pertaining to the body; bodily.
25.
of or pertaining to the main reading matter of a book, article, etc., as opposed to headings, illustrations, or the like.
—Idioms
26.
in a body, as a group; together; collectively: We left the party in a body.
27.
keep body and soul together, to support oneself; maintain life: Few writers can make enough to keep body and soul together without another occupation.
[Origin: bef. 900; ME; OE bodig; akin to OHG botah]
—Synonyms 1, 2.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. 3. substance, bulk. 12. mass, group, throng, multitude; bulk, preponderance, majority.
O.E. bodig "trunk, chest" (of a man or animal), originally "cask;" related to O.H.G. botah, of unknown origin. Not elsewhere in Gmc., and the word has died out in Ger., replaced by leib, originally "life," and körper, from L. In Eng., extension to "person" is from 1297. Contrasted with soul since at least 1240. Meaning "corpse" (short for dead body) is from c.1280. Transferred to matter generally in M.E. (e.g. heavenly body, c.1380). Bodyguard is from 1735. Body politic "the nation, the state" first recorded 1532.
the entire structure of an organism (an animal, plant, or human being); "he felt as if his whole body were on fire"
2.
a group of persons associated by some common tie or occupation and regarded as an entity; "the whole body filed out of the auditorium"; "the student body"; "administrative body"
3.
a natural object consisting of a dead animal or person; "they found the body in the lake"
4.
an individual 3-dimensional object that has mass and that is distinguishable from other objects; "heavenly body"
5.
the body excluding the head and neck and limbs; "they moved their arms and legs and bodies" [syn: torso]
6.
a collection of particulars considered as a system; "a body of law"; "a body of doctrine"; "a body of precedents"
7.
the property of holding together and retaining its shape; "wool has more body than rayon"; "when the dough has enough consistency it is ready to bake" [syn: consistency]
8.
the central message of a communication; "the body of the message was short"
9.
the main mass of a thing
10.
a resonating chamber in a musical instrument (as the body of a violin) [syn: soundbox]
11.
the external structure of a vehicle; "the body of the car was badly rusted"
Bod"ice\, n. [This is properly the plural of body, Oe. bodise a pair of bodies, equiv. to a bodice. Cf. Corset, and see Body.]1. A kind of under waist stiffened with whalebone, etc., worn esp. by women; a corset; stays. 2. A close-fitting outer waist or vest forming the upper part of a woman's dress, or a portion of it. Her bodice half way she unlaced. --Prior.
Bod"y\, n.; pl. Bodies. [OE. bodi, AS. bodig; akin to OHG. botah. [root]257. Cf. Bodice.]1. The material organized substance of an animal, whether living or dead, as distinguished from the spirit, or vital principle; the physical person. Absent in body, but present in spirit. --1 Cor. v. 3 For of the soul the body form doth take. For soul is form, and doth the body make. --Spenser. 2. The trunk, or main part, of a person or animal, as distinguished from the limbs and head; the main, central, or principal part, as of a tree, army, country, etc. Who set the body and the limbs Of this great sport together? --Shak. The van of the king's army was led by the general; . . . in the body was the king and the prince. --Clarendon. Rivers that run up into the body of Italy. --Addison. 3. The real, as opposed to the symbolical; the substance, as opposed to the shadow. Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ. --Col. ii. 17. 4. A person; a human being; -- frequently in composition; as, anybody, nobody. A dry, shrewd kind of a body. --W. Irving. 5. A number of individuals spoken of collectively, usually as united by some common tie, or as organized for some purpose; a collective whole or totality; a corporation; as, a legislative body; a clerical body. A numerous body led unresistingly to the slaughter. --Prescott. 6. A number of things or particulars embodied in a system; a general collection; as, a great body of facts; a body of laws or of divinity. 7. Any mass or portion of matter; any substance distinct from others; as, a metallic body; a moving body; an a["e]riform body. "A body of cold air." --Huxley. By collision of two bodies, grind The air attrite to fire. --Milton. 8. Amount; quantity; extent. 9. That part of a garment covering the body, as distinguished from the parts covering the limbs. 10. The bed or box of a vehicle, on or in which the load is placed; as, a wagon body; a cart body. 11. (Print.) The shank of a type, or the depth of the shank (by which the size is indicated); as, a nonpareil face on an agate body. 12. (Geom.) A figure that has length, breadth, and thickness; any solid figure. 13. Consistency; thickness; substance; strength; as, this color has body; wine of a good body. Note: Colors bear a body when they are capable of being ground so fine, and of being mixed so entirely with oil, as to seem only a very thick oil of the same color. After body (Naut.), the part of a ship abaft the dead flat. Body cavity (Anat.), the space between the walls of the body and the inclosed viscera; the c[ae]lum; -- in mammals, divided by the diaphragm into thoracic and abdominal cavities. Body of a church, the nave. Body cloth; pl. Body cloths, a cloth or blanket for covering horses. Body clothes. (pl.) 1. Clothing for the body; esp. underclothing. 2. Body cloths for horses. [Obs.] --Addison. Body coat, a gentleman's dress coat. Body color (Paint.), a pigment that has consistency, thickness, or body, in distinction from a tint or wash. Body of a law (Law), the main and operative part. Body louse (Zo["o]l.), a species of louse (Pediculus vestimenti), which sometimes infests the human body and clothes. See Grayback. Body plan (Shipbuilding), an end elevation, showing the conbour of the sides of a ship at certain points of her length. Body politic, the collective body of a nation or state as politically organized, or as exercising political functions; also, a corporation. --Wharton. As to the persons who compose the body politic or associate themselves, they take collectively the name of "people", or "nation". --Bouvier. Body servant, a valet. The bodies seven (Alchemy), the metals corresponding to the planets. [Obs.] Sol gold is, and Luna silver we threpe (=call), Mars yren (=iron), Mercurie quicksilver we clepe, Saturnus lead, and Jupiter is tin, and Venus coper. --Chaucer. Body snatcher, one who secretly removes without right or authority a dead body from a grave, vault, etc.; a resurrectionist. Body snatching (Law), the unauthorized removal of a dead body from the grave; usually for the purpose of dissection.
Bod"y\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bodied (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Bodying.] To furnish with, or as with, a body; to produce in definite shape; to embody. To body forth, to give from or shape to mentally. Imagination bodies forth The forms of things unknown. --Shak.
![[P]](http://cache.lexico.com/g/d/premium_mh.gif){kind=small}
Audio Help [bod-ee] Pronunciation Key noun, plural bod·ies, verb, bod·ied, bod·y·ing, adjective 
