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body length

body length

1 2.1
The distance from the head to the feet or tail of a living thing
  • noun
translation icon : longitud del cuerpo
  • Measuring the body length of the fish is essential for understanding its growth.
  • body length and girth
  • body length and height
  • weight and body length

Examples

  • Hence, for the prediction of live weight in female lambs, the best combination was between body length and heart girth.

    Academic text (2014)
  • Similarly, in the age group 7-9 months, the value of the coefficient of determination is higher for body length and heart girth (18.9%) compared to other body measurements.

    Academic text (2014)
  • Seals on land were typically close to each other, often within a body length.

    Academic text (1997)
  • The hecatomb is equally pronounced in each round, and the population moves but one body length toward its goal each time.

    Academic text (1990)
  • Therefore, the best combination for estimation of body weight in this age group was body length and height at wither.

    Academic text (2014)
  • Body length (BL) was measured from the point of shoulder to the pin bone.

    Academic text (2014)
  • To predict the weight of Kajli sheep, three body measurements (wither height, body length, and heart girth) were recorded on each animal.

    Academic text (2014)
  • In the case of grey seals on land, locomotion is typically brief as females tend to stay within a few body lengths of their pups, with only the rare long-distance trip to a pool of water 41, 42.

    Academic text (2018)
  • Similarly, in the age group of 7-9 months, the value of the coefficient of determination was higher for body length and height at wither (28.6%) compared to other body measurements.

    Academic text (2014)
  • The cat is 1 meter in body length from its head to its tail.

Synonyms

length
vsbody length
340 1.0

The distance from one end to the other of something

measures head to feet or tail distance rather than any end to end span
height
vsbody length
340 1.0

The distance from the bottom to the top of a person or thing

measures specifically from head to feet or tail rather than general base-to-top

Surface Forms

body length singular
body lengths plural

Morphology

body + length

The meaning 'the measurement from head to feet/tail' is transparently derived from combining 'body' (physical structure) with 'length' (linear measurement); a learner who knows both words can readily infer the phrase refers to how long a body is. This noun–noun compounding follows common, cross-linguistically available composition patterns, so it should be immediately understandable to a B1 learner.

Etymology

The term body length comes from measuring the length of a person's or animal's body from head to feet or tail. If one horse is a body length ahead, it is one whole 'body' in front of the other, so the phrase means 'a distance equal to the animal's own body'.