Definition

1. Noun:
   • A large inland body of standing water: A lake is a substantial body of water, typically fresh, that is surrounded by land.
   • A purplish-red pigment: A lake is a type of pigment, often a purplish-red color, made from organic materials like lac or cochineal.
   • Any of numerous bright translucent organic pigments: In a broader artistic or industrial context, a lake refers to any of various bright, translucent pigments derived from organic substances.

Usage and Examples

• Noun (Body of water):
  • They went swimming in the lake.
  • Lake Superior is the largest of the Great Lakes.
• Noun (Pigment):
  • The artist used a crimson lake to paint the robe.
  • This dye is used to produce a stable lake for inks.

Advanced Usage

• "to lake" (verb, rare/archaic): To play; to sport. (This usage is obsolete and not standard in modern English.)
• "lake effect" (compound noun): A meteorological phenomenon where cold air picks up moisture and heat from a lake, leading to heavy snowfall downwind.
  • The city receives significant lake-effect snow from the Great Lakes.

Variants and Related Words

• Lakeland (n): An area containing many lakes.
• Lakeside (n/adj): The land adjacent to a lake; located by a lake.
  • We stayed at a lakeside cabin.
• Laker (n): A ship used on lakes; also, a person associated with a lake.
• Lakebed (n): The bottom of a lake.

Synonyms

• Body of water (for the geographical feature).
• Pond, lagoon, reservoir (related but distinct types of water bodies; a pond is generally smaller, a lagoon is separated from the sea, a reservoir is artificial).
• Pigment, dye, colorant (for the artistic material).

Phrasal Verbs / Common Phrases

• (Go) out on the lake: To venture onto the water in a boat.
  • We spent the afternoon out on the lake.
• Lakefront property: Land or buildings located directly on the shore of a lake.
  • They own valuable lakefront property.

Related Idioms

• "Go jump in a lake!": An informal, dismissive expression telling someone to go away or stop bothering you.
  • When he kept pestering me, I finally told him to go jump in a lake.

Noun

1. any of numerous bright translucent organic pigments
2. a purplish red pigment prepared from lac or cochineal
3. a body of (usually fresh) water surrounded by land