noun
body
BOD-ee
noun
1
The complete physical structure of a person or animal.
"Regular exercise keeps the body healthy."
"The bruise covered most of her left arm and side of the body."
2
A dead human or animal; a corpse.
"Investigators found the body near the riverbank."
3
The main or central part of something, as distinct from smaller attached parts.
"The body of the essay develops the argument laid out in the introduction."
"A dent ran along the body of the car."
4
An organized group of people who share a purpose, such as a company, committee, or governing organization.
"The governing body voted to approve the new policy."
verb
1
Slang: to defeat someone decisively, or to insult or humiliate them badly.
"That comeback absolutely bodied him."
How to Use Body
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishThe physical form of a living creature — or, more loosely, the main/central part of anything, or an organized group of people.
Common pairings
human body
body of evidence
governing body
body of water
Word Forms
bodied past tense, bodies plural, bodies singular
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Regular exercise keeps the _____ healthy.
Etymology
From Old English bodig ("trunk, torso, height, stature"), from a Proto-Germanic root ultimately tied to Proto-Indo-European bhewdh-, "to be awake, to observe."