leptosomicadj.

1936 E. Miller in W. J. H. Sprott tr. E. Kretschmer Physique & Char. (ed. 2) 272 Kolle..[discovered] the existence of many cases with leptosomic physique who suffered from cyclothymia in one form or another.

1960 J. Comas Man. Physical Anthropol. vi. 341 E. Schreider believes that Kretschmer's classification can be reduced to two bipolar types, pyknic and leptosomic, with the inclusion in the latter group of the following varieties: the asthenic, the true leptosomic and the athletic. It should be mentioned that in later editions of his book, Kretschmer abandoned the third (athletic) type, and fell back upon a dichotomy consisting of the pyknic and asthenic (leptosomic).

1937 R. H. Thouless Gen. & Social Psychol. (ed. 2) vi. 109 [Kretschmer] divides men into three physical types: the athletic (large muscle and bones), the asthenic or leptosomatic (lean, flat-chested, and narrow-shouldered), and the pyknic (with tendency to rounded contours of face and body).

1959 Chambers's Encycl. XI. 335/1 The two characteristic types of physique were termed the asthenic, or leptosomatic, and the pyknic respectively.

1931 Times Lit. Suppl. 10 Dec. 1004/2 The two main classes of white man, which he calls ‘linear’ and ‘lateral’ (corresponding to the ‘pyknic’ and ‘leptosome’..of other anthropologists).

1935 Nature 9 Feb. 236/1 Of Kretschmer's three types, the leptosome corresponds to the Nordic, the athletic to the Dinaric and the pycnic to the Mediterranean and the Alpine.

1960 J. Comas Man. Physical Anthropol. vi. 341 According to the Italian biotypologists, the average or normal type is located between the leptosomes (slender type) and the pyknics (broad type).

1971 J. Z. Young Introd. Study Man xxxix. 573 Kretschmer tried to force everyone into one of three classes, pyknic (round and fat), leptosome (long and thin), and athletic (broad and strong).

1971 J. Z. Young Introd. Study Man xxxix. 576 Leptosomes were introverted.