Strong and healthy-looking, with a large, muscular build; or securing something with straps.
From the noun 'strap,' which came from Old English and possibly Germanic roots. The adjective meaning 'strong' evolved from the idea of being bound tight with straps, like a well-secured bundle.
When we call someone 'strapping,' we're basically saying they look like they've been tightly bound with muscle—it's a weird way to compliment someone, but it originally meant looking physically secured and strong.
Strapping as positive descriptor is gendered masculine (strong, well-built); applied to women it either marks tomboyism or is withheld in favor of hypersexualized descriptors. The term encodes physical strength as male-coded virtue.
Use to describe robust physical build across any gender without implication of gender deviation or reduced femininity.
["strong","robust","athletic"]
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