Emily Dickinson Lexicon

LAKE, n. [G. lache, a puddle; Fr. lac; L. lacus; Sp. and It. lago; Sax. luh; Scot. loch; Ir. lough; Ice. laugh. A lake is a stand of water, from the root of lay. Hence L. lagena, Eng. flagon, and Sp. laguna, lagoon.]

1. A large and extensive collection of water contained in a cavity or hollow of the earth. It differs from a pond in size, the latter being a collection of small extent; but sometime a collection of water is called a pond or a lake indifferently North America contains some of the largest lakes on the globe, particularly the Was Ontario, Erie, Huron, Michigan and Superior.
2. A middle color between ultramarine and vermilion, made of cochineal. – Dryden.