BODY

body

Noun

  1. Physical frame.
    1. The physical structure of a human or animal seen as one single organism.
      I saw them walking from a distance, their bodies strangely angular in the dawn light.
    2. The fleshly or corporeal nature of a human, as opposed to the spirit or soul.
      The body is driven by desires, but the soul is at peace.
    3. A corpse.
      Her body was found at four o'clock, just two hours after the murder.
    4. A person.
      What's a body gotta do to get a drink around here?
  2. Main section.
    1. The torso, the main structure of a human or animal frame excluding the extremities (limbs, head, tail).
      The boxer took a blow to the body.
    2. The largest or most important part of anything, as distinct from its appendages or accessories.
      The bumpers and front tyres were ruined, but the body of the car was in remarkable shape.
    3. The section of a dress extending from the neck to the waist, excluding the arms.
      Penny was in the scullery, pressing the body of her new dress.
    4. The content of a letter, message, or other printed or electronic document, as distinct from signatures, salutations, headers, and so on.
    5. A bodysuit.
    6. The code of a subroutine, contrasted to its signature and parameters.
      In many programming languages, the method body is enclosed in braces.
  3. <span id="group">Coherent group.</span>
    1. A group of men or people having a common purpose or opinion; a mass.
      I was escorted from the building by a body of armed security guards.
    2. An organisation, company or other authoritative group.
      The local train operating company is the managing body for this section of track.
    3. A unified collection of details, knowledge or information.
      We have now amassed a body of evidence which points to one conclusion.
  4. Material entity.
    1. Any physical object or material thing.
      All bodies are held together by internal forces.
    2. Substance; physical presence.
      We have given body to what was just a vague idea.
    3. Comparative viscosity, solidity or substance (in wine, colours etc.).
      The red wine, sadly, lacked body.
    4. An agglomeration of some substance, especially one that would be otherwise uncountable.
      The English Channel is a body of water lying between Great Britain and France.
  5. The shank of a type, or the depth of the shank (by which the size is indicated).
    a nonpareil face on an agate body

Verb

  1. To give body or shape to something.
  2. To construct the bodywork of a car.
  3. To embody.


The above text is a snippet from Wiktionary: body
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