Somatotype
noun, verb ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 A particular type of physique; originally, one of the types defined by William Herbert Sheldon: ectomorphic, endomorphic, mesomorphic.
"The relevant characteristics here are the upright posture, the big round head, the cuddly size and the soft dumpy shape. I suppose the much-loved Bill Oddie is the same somatotype."
- 2 a category of physique wordnet
- 1 To classify (a person) by physical build. transitive
"Apart from Masicampo et al. and Cullinane et al., no previous research has analyzed suspects’ perceived body size and police practices, though past theories of biology and crime, such as Sheldon's somatotyping of criminal behavior as well as several recent studies assess the relationship between individuals’ body type, height, and weight and likelihood of committing crime and being arrested."
Example
More examples"The relevant characteristics here are the upright posture, the big round head, the cuddly size and the soft dumpy shape. I suppose the much-loved Bill Oddie is the same somatotype."
Etymology
From somato- + -type.
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.