BMI
Abbreviation with 2 meanings
| Stands for | Body mass index |
|---|---|
| Meanings | 2 |
| Categories | Medical, Arts & Entertainment |
BMI has two meanings. It stands for Body mass index (patient assessment) or Broadcast Music, Inc. (music).
Meanings of BMI at a glance
| # | BMI stands for | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Body mass index | Medical › Patient Assessment |
| 2 | Broadcast Music, Inc. | Arts & Entertainment › Music |
1. Body mass index
Medical · Patient Assessment Abbreviations
Weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared, used to screen adults for underweight, overweight and obesity. WHO adult categories are under 18.5 underweight, 18.5 to 24.9 normal, 25 to 29.9 overweight and 30 or more obese.
Example: BMI 34.2; discussed nutrition referral and sleep apnea screening.
Devised by Belgian statistician Adolphe Quetelet in the 1830s and named body mass index by Ancel Keys in 1972. It does not distinguish muscle from fat, so athletes may score high. Children are assessed with BMI-for-age percentiles rather than adult cutoffs.
2. Broadcast Music, Inc.
Arts & Entertainment · Music Abbreviations
US performing rights organization collecting public-performance royalties for songwriters, composers and publishers. It represents millions of musical works across radio, TV, streaming and live venues.
Example: Check your BMI statement to see which radio stations played the song.
Founded in 1939 by radio broadcasters to compete with ASCAP during a fee dispute that led to a radio boycott of ASCAP music in 1941. BMI was owned by broadcasters for decades, became a for-profit company in 2023 and was sold to private equity firm New Mountain Capital in 2024. In medicine BMI means body mass index.
Related abbreviations
More patient assessment abbreviations
- AP – Apical pulse
- AVPU – Alert, voice, pain, unresponsive
- Ax – Axillary
- BLE – Bilateral lower extremities
- BP – Blood pressure
- BPS – Behavioral Pain Scale
- BS – Bowel sounds
- BSA – Body surface area
See all 65 patient assessment abbreviations →
More music abbreviations
- AMA – American Music Award
- AOR – Album-oriented rock
- ASCAP – American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers
- BMG – Bertelsmann Music Group
- BPM – Beats per minute
- BTS – Bangtan Sonyeondan
- BWV – Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis (Bach Works Catalogue)
- CHR – Contemporary hit radio
See all 56 music abbreviations →
This entry is for general education and is not medical advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.