From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishbody of somethingbody of somethinga) AMOUNTa large amount or mass of something, especially something that has been collectedbody of knowledge/evidence/opinion etc There is now a considerable body of knowledge of the different stages of childhood. There is a growing body of evidence that charges are too high. b) MAINthe main, central, or most important part of something The arguments are explained in the body of the text. Leave three blank lines between the date and the body of the letter. → body
Examples from the Corpus
body of knowledge/evidence/opinion etc• You have a body of knowledge.• During this period there was a considerable body of opinion, particularly among economists, which held that the country was over-populated.• The first group will be concerned with building new knowledge and contributing to an already existing body of knowledge.• So too has his historian, confronted by a growing body of evidence for change in the ninth-century economy.• A growing body of evidence shows that alcohol molecules directly affect the ability of ion channels to open or close.• The issue of whether a church represents a significant body of opinion is a matter for the decision of the licensing board.• Expert power refers to the possession of a specific body of knowledge acquired either through formal academic training or job experience.• The view that they lack work experience is contradicted by a substantial body of evidence. 