pyknic

/'piknik/

Thân thiện

A pyknic man in a striped shirt struggles to squeeze through a narrow doorway.

Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Having a squat and fleshy build: Describes a physical body type characterized by a thick-set, rounded, and stocky physique, often with a short neck, broad trunk, and a tendency to be stout.

Examples of Usage

• Adjective:
  • The anthropologist classified him as having a pyknic body type.
  • She has a pyknic build, with a broad chest and short limbs.

Advanced Usage

• This term originates from a historical system of constitutional psychology (Kretschmer's typology), which categorized body types into pyknic, asthenic, and athletic. It is now considered outdated and is primarily used in historical or anthropological contexts rather than in modern scientific or medical descriptions.
  • The old medical text described the "pyknic habitus" as being associated with a certain temperament.

Variants and Related Words

• Pyknic type (noun phrase): The specific category of body build.
  • He was studied as an example of the pyknic type.

Synonyms

• Endomorphic: Relating to a body type with a soft, round build and high fat storage (from Sheldon's somatotype theory, a more modern but also debated system).
• Stout: Somewhat fat or thick in build.
• Thickset: Having a broad, sturdy body build.

Antonyms

• Asthenic: Having a slender, lean, and frail build.
• Ectomorphic: Relating to a body type with a thin, linear build and little fat or muscle (from Sheldon's somatotype theory).

Học thuật

Adjective

1. having a squat and fleshy build
   • a pyknic practical joke

Từ đồng nghĩa

• endomorphic