somatize

S1O1M3A1T1I1Z10E1
/ˈsəʊmətaɪz/

verb

To express (a psychological process) through physical symptoms such as pain or anxiety; to have a psychosomatic reaction to (e.g. a situation).

OriginEnglish somatic ← Ancient Greek σωματικός (sōmatikós) ← Proto-Hellenic *styṓmə? →
Scrabble 19
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Meanings

verbsomatize (third-person singular simple present somatizes, present participle somatizing, simple past and past participle somatized)

present singular third person somatizes · participle present somatizing · participle past somatized · past somatized · alternative somatise

  1. transitiveTo express (a psychological process) through physical symptoms such as pain or anxiety; to have a psychosomatic reaction to (e.g. a situation).

    “[…] I don’t feel anything, naturally, since I’ve somatized the anxiety.”

    1988, Edmund White, chapter 6, in The Beautiful Room is Empty, New York: Vintage International, published 1994

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*tewh₂-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*twoH-mn̥
  3. Proto-Hellenic*twṓmə?
  4. Proto-Indo-European*styeH-
  5. Proto-Indo-European*(s)tyoH-mn̥
  6. Proto-Hellenic*styṓmə?
  7. Ancient Greekσῶμα (sôma)
  8. Ancient Greekσωματικός (sōmatikós)
  9. Englishsomatic
  10. Englishsomatize

From somatic + -ize.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

somatize. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/somatize

MLA

“somatize.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/somatize. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “somatize,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/somatize.

Source: somatize on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.