Habitus
noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 Habitude; mode of life; bearing. uncountable, usually
- 2 constitution of the human body wordnet
- 3 General appearance. uncountable, usually
"[M]any species having eschariform zoaria in quiet water are able to assume the membraniporiform habitus in strongly agitated water."
- 4 person's predisposition to be affected by something (as a disease) wordnet
- 5 habit uncountable, usually
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- 6 the general shape and appearance of the body, usually with reference to weight, adipose distribution, posture, and gait; most often called by the collocation body habitus. uncountable, usually
- 7 The lifestyle, values, dispositions and expectations of particular social groups that are acquired through the activities and experiences of everyday life. uncountable, usually
"A wrestler could gain the rank of ōzeki based on his competitive achievements, but the promotion to yokozuna implied the presence of a certain habitus than embodied the quintessential traditional Japaneseness."
- 8 The liturgical clothing of monks, nuns and the clerical community, metaphorically referring to the religious mode of life. uncountable, usually
Example
More examples"[M]any species having eschariform zoaria in quiet water are able to assume the membraniporiform habitus in strongly agitated water."
Etymology
From Latin habitus (“habit”), from habeō (“have; maintain”). The plural habiti is a misconstruction, as the Latin plural is in fact habitūs. habiti may have been influenced by Latin habitī, the plural of the participle habitus; however, it is not the etymon of the English term.
Related phrases
More for "habitus"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.