lake

[ leyk ]

See synonyms for lake on Thesaurus.com

noun

a body of fresh or salt water of considerable size, surrounded by land.
any similar body or pool of other liquid, as oil.

Idioms about lake

(go) jump in the lake, (used as an exclamation of dismissal or impatience.)

Origin of lake

before 1000; Middle English lak(e), lac(e), apparently a conflation of Old French lac, its source, Latin lacus (compare Greek lákkos,Old Irish loch,Old English, Old Saxon lagu sea, water) and Old English lacu stream, water course (compare leccan to moisten, modern dial. lake stream, channel; see leach¹)

Words Nearby lake

Other definitions for lake (2 of 3)

lake²

[ leyk ]

noun

any of various pigments prepared from animal, vegetable, or coal-tar coloring matters by chemical or other union with metallic compounds.
a red pigment prepared from lac or cochineal by combination with a metallic compound.

Origin of lake

First recorded in 1610–20; variant of lac¹

Other definitions for Lake (3 of 3)

Lake

[ leyk ]

noun

Simon, 1866–1945, U.S. engineer and naval architect.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use lake in a sentence

It’s the only moon in the solar system with a dense nitrogen-rich atmosphere like Earth’s, and the only place besides Earth where there’s been clear evidence of lakes on the surface.
The 5 best places to explore in the solar system—besides Mars | Neel Patel | August 17, 2020 | MIT Technology Review
The Erta Ale stands out as one of the world’s most active volcanoes and one of the only eight and possibly the longest-existing lava lakes in the world.
Scientists say a new ocean will form in Africa as the continent continues to split into two | Uwagbale Edward-Ekpu | August 13, 2020 | Quartz
Some climate models have come to the same conclusion, he says, counter to the prevailing image of ancient Mars as a planet covered in oceans and lakes.
Mars may not have been the warm, wet planet we thought it was | Neel Patel | August 7, 2020 | MIT Technology Review
The lake’s water has been receding for thousands of years, so there are spots near the ancient shoreline where the present-day lake is invisible.
To rehearse Perseverance’s mission, scientists pretended to be a Mars rover | Lisa Grossman | July 29, 2020 | Science News
The landing site in Jezero crater, just north of the Martian equator, contains an ancient river delta that looks like it once carried water and silt into a long-lived lake.
NASA’s Perseverance rover will seek signs of past life on Mars | Lisa Grossman | July 28, 2020 | Science News

The “waters of lake Minnetonka” may have been purifying, but they were also freezing.
Speed Read: The Juiciest Bits From the History of ‘Purple Rain’ | Jennie Yabroff | January 1, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
I am reminded of the story of Senator Bernie Sanders (Independent, VT) walking along the shores of lake Champlain.
Santa Fails One More Time | P. J. O’Rourke | December 27, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
People are extremely anxious about the next generation,” lake said, “and it unites America.
How Will Cuba Play In Peoria? | Eleanor Clift | December 21, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Williams said he went to the lake to take a stroll “because of his heart.”
Exposed: The Gay-Bashing Pastor’s Same-Sex Assault | M.L. Nestel | December 21, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
This video remedies that injustice, showcasing an owl doing a butterfly stroke in lake Michigan.
Swimming Owls, Jane Krakowski’s Peter Pan Live! Audition, and More Viral Videos | The Daily Beast Video | December 7, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Ages back—let musty geologists tell us how long ago—'twas a lake, larger than the lake of Geneva.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 60, No. 372, October 1846 | Various
They also seized the lake gunboats, took an entire Spanish garrison prisoner, and captured a large quantity of stores.
The Philippine Islands | John Foreman
A small but beautiful river debouches from the lake at its west end, and the town is grouped around this outlet.
Glances at Europe | Horace Greeley
They gardened, they drove out, they rowed and sailed upon the lake, but they declined all acquaintances.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3) | Charles James Wills
A similar circumstance has occurred on the seashore at Hoy lake, Cheshire, where several "fairy pipes" have been found.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce | E. R. Billings.

British Dictionary definitions for lake (1 of 2)

lake¹

/ (leɪk) /

noun

an expanse of water entirely surrounded by land and unconnected to the sea except by rivers or streams: Related adjective: lacustrine
anything resembling this

a surplus of a liquid commodity: a wine lake

Origin of lake

C13: lac, via Old French from Latin lacus basin

British Dictionary definitions for lake (2 of 2)

lake²

/ (leɪk) /

noun

a bright pigment used in textile dyeing and printing inks, produced by the combination of an organic colouring matter with an inorganic compound, usually a metallic salt, oxide, or hydroxide: See also mordant
a red dye obtained by combining a metallic compound with cochineal

Origin of lake

C17: variant of lac 1

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for lake

lake

[ lāk ]

A large inland body of standing fresh or salt water. Lakes generally form in depressions, such as those created by glacial or volcanic action; they may also form when a section of a river becomes dammed or when a channel is isolated by a change in a river's course.

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