1
Scotland : lake
2
Scotland : a bay or arm of the sea especially when nearly landlocked

Examples of loch in a Sentence

in his biography of Samuel Johnson, James Boswell tells of being conducted by a Scottish boatman “across one of the lochs, as they call them, or arms of the sea”
Recent Examples on the Web And almost no loch is bigger or more majestic than Loch Ness. Stephen C. George, Discover Magazine, 23 Jan. 2024 The system has never been successfully used at this scale, and locals fear that their beloved loch could become a laboratory for a start-up’s unproven technology. Dasha Afanasieva, Fortune Europe, 21 Jan. 2024 Photos of mysterious objects in the loch still make the news — at least in tabloids. Stephen C. George, Discover Magazine, 23 Jan. 2024 Loch Ness also connects to various other rivers and lochs, which in turn ultimately lead to the North Sea. Stephen C. George, Discover Magazine, 23 Jan. 2024 But more recently demand grown louder than a piper on the loch. Michelle Gross, Robb Report, 7 Dec. 2023 Starting from Fort William near Britain’s highest mountain (Ben Nevis) and running till Mallaig on the West Coast, the track cuts through stunning valleys, past lochs, quaint villages, and the picturesque scenery that the Scottish Highlands are known for. Shraddha Chowdhury, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Dec. 2023 Dunvegan Castle Set on the rocky shores of its namesake loch, Dunvegan Castle has been the ancestral home of the MacLeod family since the 13th century. Patricia Doherty, Travel + Leisure, 5 Dec. 2023 The hunters on this quest, spanning Saturday and Sunday, are armed with technology that has never been used to scour Scotland's second-largest loch for the monster beneath. Jennifer Hassanand Adela Suliman The Washington Post, Arkansas Online, 27 Aug. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'loch.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English (Scots) louch, from Scottish Gaelic loch; akin to Latin lacus lake — more at lake

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of loch was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near loch

Cite this Entry

“Loch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/loch. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

loch

noun
1
Scottish : lake
2
Scottish : an arm of the sea especially when it is nearly surrounded by land

More from Merriam-Webster on loch

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