body mass index

American  

[bod-ee mas in-deks] / ˈbɒd i ˌmæs ˌɪn dɛks /

noun

1. an index for assessing overweight and underweight, obtained by dividing body weight in kilograms by height in meters squared: a measure of 25 or more is considered overweight.

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body mass index British  

noun

1. BMI. an index used to indicate whether a person is over- or underweight. It is obtained by dividing a person's weight in kilograms by the square of their height in metres. An index of 20–25 is normal

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body mass index Scientific  

/ bŏd′ē /

1. A measurement of the relative percentages of fat and muscle mass in the human body, in which weight in kilograms is divided by height in meters squared. The result is used as an index of obesity.

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Etymology

Origin of body mass index

First recorded in 1955–60

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

body mass index

However, when the researchers compared changes in body mass index with changes in complement protein levels, they found no relationship between the amount of weight lost and the decline in those proteins.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 26, 2026

The once-daily pill is approved for patients with a body mass index of at least 30, or between 27 and 30 if there is at least one weight-related health condition.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026

These differences remained even after the researchers accounted for physical activity, diabetes, body mass index, smoking, and alcohol use.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 21, 2026

More important, in order to qualify, Medicare patients must have a higher body mass index than the rest of the U.S. population needs to have in order to take these drugs.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 25, 2026

Food intake predicts body mass index according to a monotonically increasing relation.

From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker

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