bod·y (b?d??)n. pl. bod·ies 1. a. The entire material or physical structure of an organism, especially of a human or animal.b. The physical aspect of a person as opposed to the spirit; the flesh.c. A corpse or carcass.2. a. The trunk or torso of a human or animal.b. The part of a garment covering the torso.3. a. A human; a person: a kindly body.b. A group of individuals regarded as an entity; a corporation.4. A number of persons, concepts, or things regarded as a group: We walked out in a body.5. The main or central part, as:a. Anatomy The largest or principal part of an organ; corpus.b. The nave of a church.c. The content of a book or document exclusive of prefatory matter, codicils, indexes, or appendices.d. The passenger- and cargo-carrying part of an aircraft, ship, or other vehicle.e. Music The sound box of an instrument.6. A mass of matter that is distinct from other masses: a body of water; a celestial body.7. A collection or quantity, as of material or information: the body of evidence.8. Consistency of substance, as in paint, textiles, or wine: a sauce with body.9. Printing The part of a block of type underlying the impression surface.tr.v. bod·ied, bod·y·ing, bod·ies 1. To furnish with a body.2. To give shape to. Usually used with forth: “Imagination bodies forth the forms of things unknown” (Shakespeare).3. Sports a. To play defense with one’s body up against (that of another player) so as to restrict the player’s mobility, as in basketball.b. To collide with and force (another player) in a certain direction: bodied him off the puck.Idiom: take the body Sports To play in a rough physical way, dealing out many body checks, as in hockey.[Middle English bodi, from Old English bodig.]American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.body (?b?d?) n, pl bodies1. (Anatomy) a. the entire physical structure of an animal or human being. corporealphysicalb. (as modifier): body odour. 2. the flesh, as opposed to the spirit: while we are still in the body. 3. (Anatomy) the trunk or torso, not including the limbs, head, or tail4. a dead human or animal; corpse5. the largest or main part of anything: the body of a vehicle; the body of a plant. 6. a separate or distinct mass of water or land7. the main part; majority: the body of public opinion. 8. the central part of a written work: the body of a thesis as opposed to the footnotes. 9. a number of individuals regarded as a single entity; group: the student body; they marched in a body. 10. (Mathematics) maths a three-dimensional region with an interior11. (General Physics) physics an object or substance that has three dimensions, a mass, and is distinguishable from surrounding objects12. (Hairdressing & Grooming) fullness in the appearance of the hair13. the characteristic full quality of certain wines, determined by the density and the content of alcohol or tannin: a Burgundy has a heavy body. 14. substance or firmness, esp of cloth15. (Instruments) the sound box of a guitar, violin, or similar stringed instrument16. (Clothing & Fashion) a woman’s close-fitting one-piece garment for the torso17. (Clothing & Fashion) the part of a dress covering the body from the shoulders to the waist18. (Printing, Lithography & Bookbinding) another name for shank1119. (Dyeing) a. the pigment contained in or added to paint, dye, etcb. the opacity of a paint in covering a surfacec. the apparent viscosity of a paint20. (Art Terms) (in watercolour painting)a. a white filler mixed with pigments to make them opaqueb. (as modifier): body colour. See also gouache21. (Printing, Lithography & Bookbinding) printing the measurement from top to bottom of a piece of type, usually ascender to descender22. an informal or dialect word for a person23. keep body and soul together to manage to keep alive; survive24. (Printing, Lithography & Bookbinding) (modifier) of or relating to the main reading matter of a book as distinct from headings, illustrations, appendices, etc: the body text. vb (tr) , bodies, bodying or bodied (usually foll by forth) to give a body or shape to[Old English bodig; related to Old Norse buthkr box, Old High German botah body]Collins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014bod?y (?b?d i) n., pl. bod?ies, n. 1. a. the physical structure and material substance of an animal, plant, or other organism. b. the trunk, torso, or main mass of an animal, as opposed to the head, limbs, or appendages. c. a corpse; carcass. 2. the main or central mass of a thing, as the hull of a ship, the fuselage of a plane, or the nave of a church. 3. 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 carried. 4. Print. the shank of a type, supporting the face. 5. a geometric figure having the three dimensions of length, breadth, and thickness; a solid. 6. Physics. a mass, esp. one considered as a whole. 7. the major portion of an army, population, etc. 8. the principal part of a speech or document. 9. Informal. a person: What’s a body to do? 10. Law. the physical person of an individual. 11. a collective group. 12. substance; consistency or richness: a wine with good body; Wool has more body than rayon. 13. the basic material of which a ceramic article is made. v.t. 14. to provide with or as if with a body. 15. to represent in bodily form (usu. fol. by forth). adj. 16. of or pertaining to the body; bodily. 17. of or pertaining to the main reading matter of a book, article, etc., as distinguished from headings, prefaces, or the like. [before 900; Middle English; Old English bodig; akin to Old High German 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. Random House Kernerman Webster’s College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.See Body, Human -Ologies & -Isms. Copyright 2008 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.Body a number of individuals spoken of collectively; a general collection of things or ideas; a mass of matter; the main portion of a collection or company.Examples: body of inferior clergy, 1732; of cold air; of dialects, 1875; of disciples of Christ, 1886; of discourse, 1599; of divinity, 1659; of facts; of horse, 1769; of laws, 1699; of light; of natural history, 1711; of opinion; of philosophers, 1647; of precepts, 1860; of principles, 1860; of scriptures, 1593; of troops.Dictionary of Collective Nouns and Group Terms. Copyright 2008 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.