A loch (or /ˈlɒk/; usually spelled Lough as a name element outside Scotland)'s a body of water which's either: a lake or; a sea inlet, which may be also a firth, fjord, estuary, strait or bay. Sea-inlet lochs are often called sea lochs. Background This name for a body of water's Gaelic in origin and's applied to most lakes in Scotland and to many sea inlets in the west and north of Scotland. For a list, see List of lochs in Scotland. As a name element Loch has been anglicised to Lou… (More on Loch)