body

Origin: OE. Bodi, AS. Bodig; akin to OHG. Botah. Cf. Bodice.

1. The material organised substance of an animal, whether living or dead, as distinguished from the spirit, or vital principle; the physical person. "Absent in body, but present in spirit." (1 Cor. V. 3) "For of the soul the body form doth take. For soul is form, and doth the body make." (Spenser)

2. The trunk, or main part, of a person or animal, as distinguished from the limbs and head; the main, central, or principal part, as of a tree, army, country, etc. "Who set the body and the limbs Of this great sport together?" (Shak) "The van of the king's army was led by the general; . . . In the body was the king and the prince." (Clarendon) "Rivers that run up into the body of Italy." (Addison)

3. The real, as opposed to the symbolical; the substance, as opposed to the shadow. "Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ." (Col. Ii. 17)

4. A person; a human being; frequently in composition; as, anybody, nobody. "A dry, shrewd kind of a body." (W. Irving)

5. A number of individuals spoken of collectively, usually as united by some common tie, or as organised for some purpose; a collective whole or totality; a corporation; as, a legislative body; a clerical body. "A numerous body led unresistingly to the slaughter." (Prescott)

6. A number of things or particulars embodied in a system; a general collection; as, a great body of facts; a body of laws or of divinity.

7. Any mass or portion of matter; any substance distinct from others; as, a metallic body; a moving body; an aeriform body. "A body of cold air." "By collision of two bodies, grind The air attrite to fire." (Milton)

8. Amount; quantity; extent.

9. That part of a garment covering the body, as distinguished from the parts covering the limbs.

10. The bed or box of a vehicle, on or in which the load is placed; as, a wagon body; a cart body.

11. The shank of a type, or the depth of the shank (by which the size is indicated); as, a nonpareil face on an agate body.

12. <geometry> A figure that has length, breadth, and thickness; any solid figure.

13. Consistency; thickness; substance; strength; as, this colour has body; wine of a good body.

Colours bear a body when they are capable of being ground so fine, and of being mixed so entirely with oil, as to seem only a very thick oil of the same colour. After body, an end elevation, showing the conbour of the sides of a ship at certain points of her length. Body politic, the collective body of a nation or state as politically organised, or as exercising political functions; also, a corporation. "As to the persons who compose the body politic or associate themselves, they take collectively the name of "people", or "nation"." (Bouvier) Body servant, a valet.

<chemistry> The bodies seven, the metals corresponding to the planets. "Sol gold is, and Luna silver we threpe (=call), Mars yren (=iron), Mercurie quicksilver we clepe, Saturnus lead, and Jupiter is tin, and Venus coper." (Chaucer) Body snatcher, one who secretly removes without right or authority a dead body from a grave, vault, etc.; a resurrectionist. Body snatching, the unauthorised removal of a dead body from the grave; usually for the purpose of dissection.

Source: Websters Dictionary