A Pond Was Made, a Lake Was Found
A pond is a small body of still water. Its name records that it was built.
A pond is a small body of still water, usually smaller than a lake. The word is a variant of *pound*, an enclosure, and that is the original distinction: a pond was water deliberately impounded behind a dam or bank, while a lake was simply there. Medieval estates dug fish ponds as larders, and *millpond* names the reservoir held back to drive a wheel. No official size separates pond from lake; the difference is convention, and Americans call the Atlantic the pond as a joke about scale.
- A small still water. *A garden pond.*
- A made reservoir. *A millpond.*
- The Atlantic (jocular). *Across the pond.*
- Pound — the source word. *A pound.*
- Middle English — a variant of *pound*. *The origin.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | pond | A pond. |
| Plural | ponds | Ponds. |
| Compound | millpond | A millpond. |
| Compound | fishpond | A fishpond. |
| Related | pound | A pound. |
- Ducks landed on the pond.Water.
- Monks kept fish ponds.History.
- Across the pond.Jocular.
Still waters by size
- Puddle — temporary, and shallow
- Pond — small, often made, light reaches the bottom
- Lake — larger, with a deep zone light does not reach
- Tarn — a small mountain lake
- Reservoir — impounded deliberately for supply
Middle English, a variant of *pound*, an enclosure, from Old English *pundfald*.
What is the difference between a pond and a lake?
There is no official size rule. Historically a pond was impounded deliberately, while a lake was a natural feature.
Is pond related to pound?
Yes. A pond was water enclosed, using a variant of the word for an enclosure.