A lake is a large area of water surrounded by land, usually fresh water, such as a natural or artificial inland body.
From Old English *lacu*, meaning stream or pool, related to Latin *lacus*, meaning lake or basin. Over time, English narrowed the sense to larger inland bodies of water.
Many lake names sneak the word *lake* in twice, like *Lake Tahoe* (where *Tahoe* already means ‘lake’ in Washoe) or *Loch Lochy* in Scotland. So when you say them, you’re sometimes literally saying “Lake Lake.”
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