bodybuilding

Etymology

From body + building.

noun

1. A sport in which the aesthetics of muscular development is the basis for competition.
   Like those activities, bodybuilding is an obsession, a living (for a few), and a way of life for the people involved in it—a subculture, in a word, with its own values, aesthetics and vocabulary. 1974, Charles Gaines, George Butler, Pumping Iron: The Art and Sport of Bodybuilding, page 7
2. (dated) Work done to construct or repair the body of an automobile.
   In my day, if you filled out your shirt, people assumed you played football or wrestled. The term bodybuilding had more to do with cars than lifting weights. 2006 — Larry Scott (interview), Iron Man 65(5): 258