somatic

American  

[soh-mat-ik, suh-] / soʊˈmæt ɪk, sə- /

adjective

1. of the body; bodily; physical.

   Synonyms:

   corporal

   Antonyms:

   psychic

2. Anatomy, Zoology. pertaining to the body wall of an animal.

3. Cell Biology. pertaining to or affecting the somatic cells, as distinguished from the germ cells.

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somatic British  

/ səʊˈmætɪk /

adjective

1. of or relating to the soma

   somatic cells

2. of or relating to an animal body or body wall as distinct from the viscera, limbs, and head

3. of or relating to the human body as distinct from the mind

   a somatic disease

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somatic Scientific  

/ sō-măt′ĭk /

1. Relating to the body.

2. ◆ The cells of the body with the exception of the reproductive cells (gametes) are known as somatic cells.

3. See Note at mitosis

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Other Word Forms

• somatically adjective
• unsomatic adjective

Etymology

Origin of somatic

1765–75; < Greek sōmatikós of, pertaining to the body, equivalent to sōmat- somat- + -ikos -ic

Explanation

Somatic is a fancy word that just means dealing with the body. You may be tired of hearing your great-grandfather's somatic complaints, but give him a break — his body has been working for 80 years! Soma comes from a word meaning "body" in Greek, so somatic means "of the body" and is most often used in connection with one's health. You may be more familiar with the related word, psychosomatic, which describes a physical condition or illness caused by the mind rather than a virus or a sprain. If you don't want to go to school so much that you begin to feel sick, that is psychosomatic. But sometimes, your somatic symptoms mean you really do have a cold!

Example Sentences

A 2025 pilot study found that directed somatic movement interventions helped improve body awareness and spine mobility in older adults.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 19, 2026

The collective includes an integrative somatic yoga instructor, a somatic healer and a somatic chiropractor.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 19, 2026

The results showed that listening to music with ABS significantly reduced both cognitive and somatic symptoms of anxiety compared with the pink noise control.

From Science Daily • Mar. 16, 2026

She calls it a digital toolbox filled with guided breath, meditation, somatic movement and visualization practices.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 19, 2025

Put in another way the body, or somatic cells, contribute absolutely nothing to the original material or germ-plasm of which the germ-cells are composed.

From Embryology The Beginnings of Life by Leighton, Gerald R.