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body of water

body of water

22 2.2
A large area of water like a lake, river, or ocean
  • noun
  • /ˈbɑdi əv ˈwɔtər/
: cuerpo de agua
  • Levels were higher, overall, in small bodies of water, where there is less natural dilution.
  • a large body of water
  • a small body of water
  • other bodies of water

OK, Saturn could float in water if we had a body of water big enough to test it.

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Examples

  • At the north end of the valley, a body of water glistened in the slanting light.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • We'll be standing in front of a large body of water.

  • And his favorite body of water was the sea.

  • It's a big body of water out there.

  • Because air pressure systems move, the body of water we wanted to survey would be moving as well.

    Academic text (2003)
  • This is the largest landlocked body of water on the earth.

  • There are rare bodies of water that rely on natural eutrophication.

  • In fact, we've had flood warnings for like the past week because all of our bodies of water around here are getting so full.

  • Most of Splendor's western hemisphere was taken up with the gigantic body of water.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • We decided to have a picnic by the beautiful body of water near the campsite.

Synonyms

water
vsbody of water
∞ 1.0

An area covered by water, like a river, lake, or sea

is the general term for a distinct large mass of liquid
sea
vsbody of water
∞ 1.0

A large area of salt water partly enclosed by land

is more general and includes this coastal salt area among others
ocean
vsbody of water
960 1.0

A very large area of salt water covering most of the Earth's surface

is the general term that also covers this vast salt area
lake
vsbody of water
793 1.0

A large area of fresh water surrounded by land

is a broader term covering this and other liquid types
stream
vsbody of water
244 1.0

A small, narrow flow of water on the ground

is a broader term for large stationary liquid masses rather than small flows
drink
vsbody of water
  • Archaic
19 8.8

A large body of water like a sea or lake

is the neutral formal term for any large liquid area
main
vsbody of water
  • Archaic
9 7.9

The open sea far from land

is the broader name that includes open salt expanses

How Big

ocean
960 1.0
sea
∞ 1.0
body of water
22 2.2
lake
793 1.0
pond
266 1.0

Surface Forms

body of water singular

Morphology

body + of + water

The meaning is directly compositional: 'body' as a distinct mass or entity + 'of' linking + 'water' yields ‘a mass/area of water’. This noun-of-noun pattern is common cross-linguistically (e.g., Spanish 'cuerpo de agua') and follows standard English composition, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will readily infer the meaning.

Etymology

Body of water comes from the simple image of water forming a single body, a separate area like a lake, river, or sea. So the phrase means 'a large or separate area of water' today.