Steatopygia

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A condition in which an unusually large amount of fat collects in the buttocks, giving them a markedly protruding appearance
2. The medical term for an excessive build-up of fatty tissue around the hips and rear, often seen as a characteristic physical trait in some populations
3. An abnormally large and prominent deposit of fat on the buttocks, sometimes regarded as a natural feature among certain peoples of Africa

Etymology: Steatopygia is a medical term for an accumulation of fat in the buttocks and thighs, and it was built in the modern era from two Greek pieces. The first, "steato-", comes from the Greek "stéar", meaning tallow or hard animal fat, and the second, "pygo-", comes from the Greek "pygē", meaning rump or buttocks. The final "-ia" is a suffix used to form names of conditions and qualities. The Greek roots themselves are ancient, but the combined word is a coinage. Ancient Greek writers had no single term for this trait, so the word was assembled from classical building blocks in the same way that many scientific and medical terms were. Its Latin-scripted endings pass through Latin "-ia" forms before settling into English.