loch

IPA/lɒk/
KK[lˈɑk]IPA/lɑːk/

loch — noun

  • lochsingular
  • lochesplural

1. a long, narrow body of water in Scotland — either a freshwater lake or a sea inl

1.nounB2
Definition

a long, narrow body of water in Scotland — either a freshwater lake or a sea inlet that stretches deep into the land between hills

Example

The famous Loch Ness in Scotland is known worldwide for its legend of a monster.

proper name: Loch Ness

Hyun took a boat across the loch to a small island with an old castle.

across the loch — prepositional collocation

Common collocations
  • Loch Ness
  • Loch Lomond
  • beside the loch
  • across the loch
  • on the loch
  • in the loch
Synonyms
  • lake

    the general term; unlike loch, a lake is always freshwater and not restricted to Scotland

  • fjord

    a narrow sea inlet between cliffs, similar to some Scottish lochs, but typically refers to features in Norway

  • inlet

    a general term for any narrow opening of the sea into the land; loch is a specific Scottish type

Usage Note

Frequently used as part of a proper place name such as Loch Ness or Loch Lomond. When part of a name, 'Loch' is capitalized. In general references (e.g. 'a quiet loch') it is not.

Common Mistakes

We swam in the loch near Sydney.
We swam in the loch near Inverness.
The word 'loch' refers only to bodies of water in Scotland.

Word family

  • lochan
    nounC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Loch, lake, fjord, and inlet all refer to bodies of water, but they differ in location, shape, and origin. A loch is a specifically Scottish term for a body of water that can be either a freshwater lake or a narrow arm of the sea reaching into the land. A lake is the general term for any large inland body of freshwater and is not tied to any particular country. A fjord is a long, narrow sea inlet with steep sides, created by glacial erosion, and is most commonly associated with Norway. An inlet is a broad, non-regional term for any narrow opening of the sea into the coastline. For example, 'We drove around Loch Lomond' is regional; 'We drove around the lake' is neutral; 'The fjord cuts deep into the mountains' describes a specific geography; 'The inlet provides shelter for boats' is a general description.

loch ↗lake ↗fjord ↗inlet ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • Loch Ness
  • Loch Lomond
  • Loch Morar

Phrases

  • the edge of the loch
  • the shore of the loch
  • a cruise on the loch

Prepositions

  • across the loch
  • beside the loch
  • on the loch
  • in the loch
  • around the loch

Etymology

Proto-Indo-EuropeanProto-CelticOld IrishScottish GaelicEnglish

Loch comes from Scottish Gaelic, where it means 'lake' or 'sea inlet.' It is related to the Irish word 'lough' and shares a distant ancestor with the Latin word 'lacus' (lake), both tracing back to the same Indo-European root that also gave English the word 'lake.'