barrel chest

English

Etymology

From a figurative resemblance to a barrel (cask): large, convex, and deep in the anteroposterior dimension.

Noun

barrel chest (plural barrel chests)

1. A large, deep chest, as:
   1. A robust chest, often correlated with ample physical strength and endurance, especially among people raised at high altitudes.
      • 2024 October 2, Kit Jannar, “My Hetero Hunk of a French Lover Asked Me to F*ck Him Like a Woman”, in Cosmopolitan‎^[1]:

        There, standing shirtless next to the turquoise pool in the courtyard, was the most masculine human being I had ever seen in my life: broad shoulders, barrel chest (with the perfect amount of hair, of course), and powerful thighs.

   2. A deep and somewhat misshapen chest, sometimes associated with emphysema.

Coordinate terms

• funnel chest (pectus excavatum) (concave, sunken)
• pigeon chest (pectus carinatum) (convex but peaked)

Derived terms

• barrel-chested