bodywork
|bod-y-work|
🇺🇸
/ˈbɑː.di.wɝk/
🇬🇧
/ˈbɒd.i.wɜːk/
work done on a body
Etymology
'bodywork' originates from Modern English, specifically the combination of the words 'body' and 'work', where 'body' meant 'physical organism or structure' and 'work' meant 'labor or activity'.
'body' comes from Old English 'bodig' meaning 'trunk, corpse, physical body', and 'work' comes from Old English 'weorc' meaning 'deed, action, labor'. The compound 'bodywork' developed in English (notably in contexts of vehicles and therapy) in the 19th–20th centuries by combining these elements.
Initially the elements referred separately to 'body' and 'work'; over time the compound came to mean 'work done on a body's surface or structure', specifically vehicle body repair and hands-on therapeutic treatment.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
the exterior structure or outer panels of a vehicle, or the repair and finishing work done on that exterior.
The car's bodywork was badly damaged in the accident.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2026/01/20 12:36