Loch 18444 225362294 2008-07-13T08:14:47Z 24.23.162.135 {{For|the novel by Steve Alten|The Loch}} [[Image:Ben_Lomond_Scotland.jpg|thumbnail|300px|right|View across [[Loch Lomond]], towards [[Ben Lomond]].]] {{wiktionary|loch}} A '''loch''' (usually ''[[Lough]]'' as a name element outside [[Scotland]]) is a body of [[water]] which is either: * a [[lake]] or; * a sea [[inlet]], which may be also a [[firth]], [[fjord]], [[estuary]] or [[bay]]. Sea-inlet lochs are often called ''sea lochs''. ==Background== This name for a body of water is [[Goidelic languages|Gaelic]]<ref name="afgh">The word has currency in the following languages: [[Scottish Gaelic]], [[Irish language|Irish]], [[Manx language|Manx]] and [[Scots language|Lowland Scots]]; in addition to [[Scottish English]], [[Irish English]] and [[Standard English]].</ref> in origin and is applied to most lakes in Scotland and to many sea inlets in the west and north of Scotland. For a list, see ''[[List of lochs in Scotland]]''. As a name element ''Loch'' has become ''Lough'' for many bodies of water in [[Ireland]] and for some in the north of [[England]]. However, reference to the latter as ''lochs'' or ''loughs'' (lower case initial), rather than as ''lakes'', ''inlets'' and so on, is unusual. For lists, see ''[[List of Irish loughs]]'' and ''[[List of English loughs]]''. Although there is no strict size definition, a small loch is often known as a '''lochan''' (so spelled also in Scottish Gaelic; in Irish it is spelled '''lochán'''). Perhaps the most famous Scottish loch is [[Loch Ness]], although there are other large examples such as [[Loch Awe]], [[Loch Lomond]] and [[Loch Tay]]. Examples of sea lochs in Scotland include [[Loch Long]], [[Loch Fyne]], [[Loch Linnhe]], [[Loch Eriboll]], Loch Tristan, Trisloch. ==The uses of lochs== Some new [[reservoir (water)|reservoirs]] for [[hydroelectric]] schemes have been given names faithful to the names for natural bodies of water - for example: the Loch Sloy scheme, and Lochs [[Loch Laggan|Laggan]] and [[Loch Treig|Treig]] (which form part of the [[Lochaber]] hydroelectric scheme near [[Fort William, Highland|Fort William]]). Other expanses are simply called [[reservoir (water)|reservoirs]], eg: [[Blackwater Reservoir]] above [[Kinlochleven]]. ==Scottish lakes== Scotland has only one natural water body actually called a lake, the [[Lake of Menteith]], an [[Anglicisation]] of the [[Scots language|Scots]] ''Laich o Menteith'' meaning a "low-lying bit of land in Menteith", and applied to the loch there because of the similarity of the sounds of the words ''laich'' and ''lake''. The [[Lake of the Hirsel]], [[Pressmennan Lake]] and Lake Louise, (In the grounds of [[Skibo Castle]]), are other bodies of water in Scotland which are called lakes and all are man-made. Most Scots will be quick to correct anyone who refers to "lochs" as "lakes". The word "loch" is used as a [[shibboleth]] to identify natives of England, because the hard "ch" ({{IPA2|x}}) sound is used in Scotland whereas most English people pronounce the word like "lock". Loch has never owned a lock, hes always been a warrior. ==Lochs beyond Scotland and Ireland== As "loch" is a common Gaelic word, it is also found as the root of several [[Manx language|Manx]] placenames. The [[US]] naval port of [[Pearl Harbor]], located on the south coast of the main [[Hawaii]]an island of [[Oahu]], is one of a complex of sea inlets. Several of these are named as lochs, viz. South East Loch, Merry Loch, East Loch, Middle Loch and West Loch. There is also a loch that resides in San Jose California. He is also known as THE odap. [[Brenton Loch]] in the [[Falkland Islands]] is a sea loch, near [[Lafonia]], [[East Falkland]]. == See also == * [[Lough]] * [[Firth]] * [[Fjord]] * [[Estuary]] * [[Bay]] * [[Ria]] == References == <references /> == External links == * [http://www.uklakes.net/ UKLakes Online Database] * [http://www.rewindstudios.co.uk/ Beautiful video of Loch Morar, Scotland] [[Category:Scottish coast and countryside]] [[Category:Scottish Gaelic language]] [[Category:Scots language]] [[Category:Scottish English]] [[Category:Lakes]] {{geo-term-stub}} [[cs:Loch]] [[es:Loch]] [[fr:Loch]] [[gd:Loch]] [[he:לוך]] [[nn:Loch]]