/bod"ee/ , n. , pl. bodies , v. , bodied, bodying , adj.
n.
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.
4. Anat. , Zool. the physical structure of a human being or animal, not including the head, limbs, and tail; trunk; torso.
5. Archit. 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. Naut. the hull of a ship.
8. Aeron. the fuselage of a plane.
9. Print. the shank of a type, supporting the face. See diag. under type .
10. Geom. 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. Astron. 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. Ceram. the basic material of which a ceramic article is made.
22. in a body , as a group; together; collectively: We left the party in a body.
23. keep body and soul together , to support oneself; maintain life: Few writers can make enough to keep body and soul together without another occupation.
v.t.
24. to invest with or as with a body.
25. to represent in bodily form (usually fol. by forth ).
adj.
26. of or pertaining to the body; bodily.
27. of or pertaining to the main reading matter of a book, article, etc., as opposed to headings, illustrations, or the like.
[ bef. 900; ME; OE bodig; akin to OHG botah ]
Syn. 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.
Ant. 12. handful, scattering, few.