somatotype

plural somatotypes

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.

   2009, Jeremy Mynott, chapter 2, in Birdscapes, Princeton and Oxford: Princeton, page 46

   2 more examples

   The observed occurrence of people changing from one somatotype to another has caused many researchers and health practitioners to regard the practice of categorizing people into different somatotypes as unscientific and erroneous.

   2016 March 28, “Somatotypes”, in Nutrition News, volume 1, number 1, National Nutrition Centre, archived from the original on 03 Jun 2023, page 2

   An ectomorph is a human somatotype (body type) that is typically tall and lean with smaller muscles, narrow shoulders, and narrow hips. […] There are two other somatotypes: endomorphs and mesomorphs.

   2025 February 6, Laura Schober, “Everything To Know About Having an Ectomorph Body Type”, in Health

   Synonyms: constitutional type

present singular third person somatotypes · participle present somatotyping · participle past somatotyped · past somatotyped

1. transitiveTo classify (a person) by physical build.

   1 more example

   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.

   2016 January 20, “Black and Hispanic Men Perceived to Be Large Are at Increased Risk for Police Frisk, Search, and Force”, in PLOS ONE, →DOI