ectomorph

English

Etymology

Derived from ectoderm +‎ -morph from William Herbert Sheldon. Equivalent to ecto- +‎ -morph.

Pronunciation

  • (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈɛktəʊmɔːf/
  • (US) IPA(key): /ˈɛktoʊmɔːɹf/, /ˈɛktəmɔːɹf/
  • Audio (US):(file)

Noun

ectomorph (plural ectomorphs)

  1. Someone with a lean, only slightly muscular body
    • 1990, Robert Klitgaard, Tropical Gangsters: One Man's Experience with Development and Decadence in Deepest Africa:
      Also there was a woman I hadn't met, a chain-smoking French ectomorph whose job it was to make sense of records of public spending in the Ministry of Finance.
  2. (bodybuilding): Theoretical body type in which a person has a high metabolism. Such a person can easily maintain a low fat physique, but does not add muscle or body weight easily.
    • 2025 February 6, Laura Schober, “Everything To Know About Having an Ectomorph Body Type”, in Health‎[1]:
      The ectomorph body type is characterized by narrow shoulders and hips and a lean build. Its naturally fast metabolism makes it easy for ectomorphs to lose or maintain body fat levels but more difficult to build muscle.

Synonyms

Derived terms

Translations

someone with a lean body

See also

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