steatopygia

[ stee-at-uh-pahy-jee-uh, stee-uh-tuh- ]

noun

1. extreme accumulation of fat on and about the buttocks, especially of women.

steatopygia

/ ˌstɪətəʊˈpaɪɡə; -ˈpaɪ-; ˌstɪəˈtɒpɪɡəs; ˌstɪətəʊˈpɪdʒɪə; ˌstɪətəʊˈpɪdʒɪk /

noun

1. excessive fatness of the buttocks

Derived Forms

• steatopygic, adjective

Other Words From

• ste·at·o·pyg·ic [stee-at-, uh, -, pij, -ik, stee-, uh, -t, uh, ‑], ste·at·o·py·gous [stee-at-, uh, -, pahy, -g, uh, s, stee-, uh, -, top, -, uh, -g, uh, s, stee-, uh, -t, uh, -, pahy, ‑], adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of steatopygia¹

1855–60; steato- + Greek pȳg ( ḗ ) buttocks + -ia -ia

Word History and Origins

Origin of steatopygia¹

C19: from New Latin, from steato- + Greek pugē the buttocks

Example Sentences

Her body was characterized as grotesque, lascivious and obscene because of her protruding buttocks, which was due to a condition called steatopygia that occurs naturally among people in arid parts of southern Africa.

From Salon

The reason was that Baartman, also known as Sara or Saartjie, had steatopygia, a genetic condition resulting in extremely protuberant buttocks due to a build-up of fat.

From BBC

Hamy calls them simply “Bushman-Bantu half-breeds,” the Bushman element being seen in the leathery colour, compared to that of the “sere and yellow leaf”; in the remarkably prominent cheekbones and pointed chin, giving the face a peculiarly triangular shape; and lastly, in such highly specialized characters as the tablier and the steatopygia of the women.

From Project Gutenberg

You never thought the day'd come, didja, They'd glorify steatopygia?

From Time Magazine Archive

Twilight of Man is illustrated with Hooton's own drawings, one of which thoroughly illustrates the phenomenon of steatopygia � an accumulation of fat on the posterior � which appears in the females of some primitive human types, and which probably helped some women of the Glacial Period to keep warm when skimpier males crowded them from the fire.

From Time Magazine Archive