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obesity

UK/ə(ʊ)ˈbiːsɪti/US/oʊˈbisɪti/
nounB2+Occasional — familiar, but not everyday · #11,197 of 15,258leans writtentechnical · an editor’s judgement

Obesity is the medical condition of being dangerously overweight. A clinical term, not a description of appearance.

Doctors define it by body mass index, though the measure is crude and treats muscle as fat, which is one reason it is argued about. It raises the risk of diabetes, heart disease and several cancers, which is why it is treated as a public health matter rather than a private one. The adjective is obese, and it is a medical word rather than an insult, though it is very often used as one.

James Heilman, MD · CC BY-SA 3.0

Definitions of obesity

  1. 1nounobesityThe medical condition of carrying dangerously excessive body fat.B2+

    “The report links obesity to a shortage of green space.”

Where it comes from

  1. Proto-Indo-European

    *h₁ed-

  2. Latin

    obēsitās

  3. French

    obésité

  4. English, today

    obesity

Built from

  • obēsus · Latin — fat

From French obésité, from Latin obēsitās, from obēsus (“fat”). by surface analysis, obese + -ity.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

Practised in Body & Health, A Man Called Ove

First appears in chapter 3 of A Man Called Ove.

Practise this word

obesity in the wild

  • An excess of adipose visceral fat is known as central obesity, the "pot belly" or "beer belly" effect, in which the abdomen protrudes excessively.

    Abdominal obesity

  • Some East Asian countries use lower BMI thresholds to define obesity.

    Obesity

  • While many people with obesity attempt to lose weight and are often successful, maintaining weight loss long-term is rare.

    Obesity

  • Childhood obesity is a condition where excess body fat negatively affects a child's health or well-being.

    Childhood obesity

  • As methods to determine body fat directly are difficult, the diagnosis of obesity is often based on BMI.

    Childhood obesity

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From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. These sentences were written by other people about their own subjects; they are here to show the word at work, not as anybody’s opinion.

Related words

the obēsus family

obeseobesity

obesity — used about once every 8,182 pages · #11,197 · point at the bar for the others