Body
Body turns up in 2 fields: valves, printing. Here is what it means to the people in each one.
Body in valves
The main pressure-containing shell of a valve, carrying the flow passage and the end connections.
The body holds pressure, houses the seat and closure member, and connects to the pipe by flanges, weld ends or threads. It is cast or forged, in grades such as WCB or A105 carbon steel and CF8M or F316 stainless, and its markings show material, pressure class, size and flow direction. Body and bonnet together form the shell that a hydrostatic shell test proves.
"Body casting has a weep at the bottom drain boss, tag it out and get a new valve, you don't weld on that."
Body in printing
The solid rectangular shank of a piece of metal type that supports the printing face.
The main physical block of a piece of foundry type. The depth of the body determines the point size of the font, dictating how much vertical space the line of text will occupy. It provides the necessary mass to hold the raised character exactly type-high and keeps adjacent letters properly spaced in the form.
"The face looks like a 10-point, but it's cast on a 12-point body so it has built-in leading."