Dictionary

mesomorphic en · ADJ · etymology 1

Pronunciation

• /ˌmɛzəˈmɔɹfɪk/
• /ˌmɛsəˈmɔɹfɪk/

Etymology

Etymology tree English mesomorph Proto-Indo-European *-ikos Proto-Italic *-ikos Latin -icuslbor. Old French -iquebor. Middle English -ik English -ic English mesomorphic From mesomorph + -ic.

Meanings

1. Of or pertaining to a mesomorph.
   • Players in the best teams were less endomorphic and more mesomorphic than those in the worst teams, but forwards and backs in the best teams did not differ in somatotype. 2009, Timothy R. Ackland, Bruce Elliott, John Bloomfield, Applied Anatomy and Biomechanics in Sport, page 62:
   • Studies have found that elite athletes can be primarily mesomorphic with ectomorphic qualities or primarily mesomorphic with endomorphic qualities. 2025 February 4, Laura Schober, “What Does It Mean To Have an Endomorph Body Type?”, in Health:
   • An average man is more mesomorphic than the phantom whereas the average woman is more endomorphic than the phantom (see figure 3.2). 2005, Bruce Abernethy, The Biophysical Foundations of Human Movement, page 37:
   • For instance, compared to the typical ectomorphic or endomorphic child, the mesomorphic boy or girl may have more energy and a greater motivation for vigorous play with peers. 1993, Henry B. Biller, Fathers and Families: Paternal Factors in Child Development, page 155:

Forms

mesomorphic en · ADJ · etymology 2

Pronunciation

• /ˌmɛzəˈmɔɹfɪk/
• /ˌmɛsəˈmɔɹfɪk/

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *me Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁-? Proto-Indo-European *-dʰe Proto-Indo-European *médʰi Proto-Indo-European *-os Proto-Indo-European *médʰyos Proto-Hellenic *métsos Ancient Greek μέσος (mésos)der. English meso- Ancient Greek μορφή (morphḗ) Proto-Indo-European *-ikos Proto-Italic *-ikos Latin -icuslbor. Old French -iquebor. Middle English -ik English -ic English -morphic English mesomorphic From meso- + -morphic.

Meanings

1. (not-comparable) Of or pertaining to phases of matter intermediate between solid and liquid; of or pertaining to liquid crystals.
   • 1958, Chemical Society (Great Britain), G. W. Gray, Steric Effects in Conjugated Systems, page 161, Changes in the chemical constitution of a mesomorphic compound may therefore radically alter the mesomorphic properties and thermal stabilities.
   • The thermodynamic conditions under which such a mesomorphic phase can interfere and affect the crystallization process are described in Fig. 5.40. 2007, Gert R. Strobl, The Physics of Polymers: Concepts for Understanding Their Structures and Behavior, page 200:
   • 1993, Nikolaĭ Alʹfredovich Platė (editor, original Russian edition), S. L. Schnur (translator), Liquid-Crystal Polymers, page 132, This x-ray is typical of mesomorphic structures which occupy an intermediate position between crystalline and amorphous with respect to the degree of order.