Fatty

Fatty is a colloquial English term that can function as a nickname for people perceived as overweight. In historical contexts it was used both affectionately and pejoratively and is now often considered insulting or inappropriate in modern usage. The most famous bearer of the nickname is Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle (1887–1933), an American silent-film actor and director whose nickname reflected his size. The term has appeared for other individuals in the early 20th century, but it is not widely used as a formal name today.

In science and nutrition, fatty describes substances that contain fat or are derived from fat. Fatty acids are the building blocks of fats (triglycerides) and play essential roles in metabolism. The term also appears in medical contexts, such as fatty liver disease, indicating abnormal fat accumulation in tissues.

In popular culture, “Fatty” has appeared in various fictional or humorous contexts, usually as a nickname, and is sometimes used in dialogue to denote a character’s size. The term is largely historical in many regions and can be considered offensive when used to describe a person in contemporary settings. Care should be taken to avoid using it in a stigmatizing way.