body
Body (noun) means the complete physical structure of a person or animal. Example: “Regular exercise keeps the body healthy.”
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.
Word forms
bodied past tense, bodies plural, bodies singular
Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
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."
Related words
Rhymes for body
See all rhymes for body →Frequently asked questions
What does “body” mean?
The word “body” means the complete physical structure of a person or animal. In plain terms, the physical form of a living creature — or, more loosely, the main/central part of anything, or an organized group of people.
How do you pronounce “body”?
“Body” is pronounced BOD-ee (/ˈbɑ.di/ in IPA).
How do you use “body” in a sentence?
Here is “body” used in a sentence: “Regular exercise keeps the body healthy.”
What is another word for “body”?
Words with a similar meaning to “body” include bod, bones, flesh, carcass, likam and quarrons.
What part of speech is “body”?
Depending on how it is used, “body” can be a noun and a verb.
Where does the word “body” come from?
The word “body” comes from Old English. 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.".
Is “body” a common word?
“Body” is a very common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A1 level.
How many meanings does “body” have?
“Body” has 5 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: the complete physical structure of a person or animal.
What is the difference between the body and the mind?
The body is the complete physical structure — bones, muscles, organs, and skin — that you can see and touch. The mind refers to thought, awareness, and feeling, which have no physical shape. People often speak of body and mind together because good health usually depends on caring for both the physical and the mental sides of a person.
What are the main parts of the body?
The human body is often divided into the head, the neck, the torso or trunk, and the limbs — the two arms and two legs. Inside are systems of organs such as the heart, lungs, and brain. Together these parts and systems work as a single structure that keeps the body alive and moving.
Does 'body' only refer to humans?
No. Body describes the whole physical structure of a person or an animal, so a dog or a bird has a body too. The word also stretches to objects and groups — the body of a car, a body of water, or a governing body — where it means the main or complete part of something.
What is an example of body?
You might say 'exercise keeps the body healthy,' referring to the whole physical form. The word appears in many other phrases too, such as 'a body of work' for someone's collected output, or 'the main body of the text' for its central part, all built on the idea of a complete whole.
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