Lakes

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /leɪks/

Definitions

1. A large body of freshwater or saltwater often surrounded by land; a substantial inland body of water generally larger than a pond; an expansive water feature that serves as a habitat for various aquatic species and ecosystems
2. An extensive stretch of water typically formed by natural processes, such as glacial activity; a sizable water-filled depression where ecosystems thrive and support diverse flora and fauna; a prominent geographical feature within a landscape that can vary in size and salinity
3. A significant accumulation of water, either freshwater or saline, located in a depression on Earth’s surface; a notable area providing habitat for wildlife, recreation, and natural beauty; a water environment often subject to seasonal changes in depth and area

Etymology: "Lakes" is simply the plural of "lake", so the story belongs to the singular. The word has a tangled ancestry: English "lake" arose from a conflation of two separate words. The first, Middle English "lake", came from Old English "lacu", meaning stream, pool, pond or lake, and traces back to a Proto-Germanic root meaning a place where water runs off and collects. That root is ultimately linked to a Proto-Indo-European sense of "to leak, drain", so the original idea was less a body of still water than a place where water gathers after draining away. The second strand came in through Old French "lac", meaning lake, ditch or pit, which was borrowed from Latin "lacus", meaning lake, tub or vat. Over time, the two words merged in English and their senses blurred together, so that a Latin-derived word for a basin or vat and a Germanic word for a runoff pool became one term for a large inland water.

Synonyms: ponds, bodies of water