English Reference
Adjective

somatic

adj.
C1 Advanced US /ˌsoʊˈmɑtɪk/ UK /səmˈætɪk/ so·mat·ic Biology

adj.relating to the body, especially the physical parts of the body rather than the mind. You use this to describe things like the nerves that control your muscles.

adj.relating to the body, particularly the physical structure and sensory nerves. Often used in medical or biological contexts to distinguish physical from mental processes.


SIMPLE

The doctor checked for somatic symptoms like muscle pain.

CONTEXTUAL

The patient reported several somatic complaints, including chronic back pain and fatigue, that were not explained by a physical illness.

COMPLEX

In clinical psychology, somatic symptoms are often used to describe physical complaints that are primarily caused by psychological factors rather than a specific organic disease.

Today, some adventurous and imaginative medical schools take the connection between somatic signs, language and interpretation very seriously indeed, teaching physical examination through the idea of ‘The Body as Text’.

Aeon· 8 Sept 2026

From Ancient Greek σωματικός (sōmatikós, “bodily”), σῶμα (sôma, “body”).

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Origin Ancient Greek σωματικός
Level C1 · Advanced
Frequency Occasional
Updated