adjective
somatic
soh-MAH-tik/sˌoʊmˈɑtɪk/
Pertaining to the body.
The doctor checks for somatic symptoms such as muscle pain.
Etymology
Greek sōma names the material body and, in philosophy, contrasts it with the soul or mind. Somatic preserves that contrast, describing the bodily rather than the mental side of experience.
In context
major depressive disorder is also associated with all sorts of somatic or body complaints so depressed patients often experience chronic fatigue headaches heightened sensitivity to pain
More examples
- Anxiety can cause both emotional distress and somatic symptoms.
- Most cells in your body are somatic cells.
- A somatic mutation affects body cells rather than sperm or eggs.
Forms
somatic
Similar words
- bodily
- Bodily is more common outside medical and scientific contexts.
- physical
- Physical also describes material objects, not just living bodies.