body mass index


noun

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. Abbreviation: BMI

British Dictionary definitions for body mass index

body mass index

noun

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 Abbreviation: BMI

Medical definitions for body mass index

body mass index

n.

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

Scientific definitions for body mass index

body mass index
[ bŏdē ]

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.