verb, built or (Archaic
) build⋅ed; build⋅ing; noun | 1. | to construct (esp. something complex) by assembling and joining parts or materials: to build a house. |
| 2. | to establish, increase, or strengthen (often fol. by up): to build a business; to build up one's hopes. |
| 3. | to mold, form, or create: to build boys into men. |
| 4. | to base; found: a relationship built on trust. |
| 5. | Games.
|
| 6. | to engage in the art, practice, or business of building. |
| 7. | to form or construct a plan, system of thought, etc. (usually fol. by on or upon): He built on the philosophies of the past. |
| 8. | to increase or develop toward a maximum, as of intensity, tempo, or magnitude (often fol. by up): The drama builds steadily toward a climax. |
| 9. | the physical structure, esp. of a person; physique; figure: He had a strong build. |
| 10. | the manner or form of construction: The house was of modern build. |
| 11. | Masonry.
|
| 12. | build in or into, to build or incorporate as part of something else: to build in bookcases between the windows; an allowance for travel expenses built into the budget. |
| 13. | build up,
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build
In addition to the idioms beginning with build, also see light (build) a fire under. Also see under built.
build
human body shape and physique type. The term somatotype is used in the system of classification of human physical types developed by U.S. psychologist W.H. Sheldon. In Sheldon's system, human beings can be classified as to body build in terms of three extreme body types: endomorphic, or round, fat type; mesomorphic, or muscular type; and ectomorphic, or slim, linear type. A somatotype number of three digits is determined for an individual classified by the system, with the first digit referring to endomorphy, the second to mesomorphy, and the third to ectomorphy; each digit is on a scale of one to seven. Hence the extreme endomorph has the somatotype 711, the extreme mesomorph 171, and the extreme ectomorph 117. The classification numbers are negatively correlated, so that a high number in one class precludes high numbers in the others; in practice, extreme types (711, 171, 117) are rare or nonexistent, and the person of normal build has a somatotype approaching 444, evenly balanced between extremes. See also ectomorph; endomorph; mesomorph.
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