A Loch Can Be a Lake or an Arm of the Sea
A loch is a Scottish lake. The same word covers sea inlets, which is why some lochs are salt water.
A loch is a lake or a narrow arm of the sea, in Scotland and Ireland. The word covers both, which surprises visitors: Loch Ness is fresh water, Loch Fyne is a sea inlet, and nothing in the name distinguishes them. A *sea loch* is the fjord-like inlet left by glaciers along the west coast. Loch Ness holds more fresh water than every lake in England and Wales combined, because of its extraordinary depth rather than its area.
- A Scottish lake. *Loch Ness.*
- A sea inlet. *A sea loch.*
- Lough — the Irish spelling. *Lough Neagh.*
- Lochan — a small loch. *A lochan.*
- Gaelic — *loch*. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | loch | A loch. |
| Plural | lochs | Lochs. |
| Irish | lough | A lough. |
| Diminutive | lochan | A lochan. |
| Gaelic | loch | A lake. |
- They sailed down the loch.Water.
- Loch Fyne is salt water.Sea loch.
- Lough is the Irish form.Spelling.
About Loch Ness
- It holds more fresh water than all the lakes of England and Wales together
- Its depth exceeds 200 metres
- It lies along the Great Glen, a fault line crossing Scotland
- It rarely freezes, because of its volume
- Peat particles make the water very dark
Scottish Gaelic *loch*, a lake or sea inlet, related to Irish *loch* and Latin *lacus*.
Are all lochs fresh water?
No. A sea loch is an arm of the sea, so Loch Fyne is salt water while Loch Ness is fresh.
How much water does Loch Ness hold?
More than every lake in England and Wales combined, owing to its great depth rather than its surface area.