Definition
nounThe abdomen (especially a fat one).
nounstomach (an organ in animals that stores food in the process of digestion)
Sentence Examples
The belly has no ears.
I hit the man on the belly.
The belly is not filled with fair words.
Word Origin & History
Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *bʰelǵʰ-
Proto-Indo-European *-is
Proto-Indo-European *bʰólǵʰis
Proto-Germanic *balgiz
Proto-West Germanic *balgi
Old English bielġ
Middle English bely
English belly
Inherited from Middle English bely, beli, bali, below, belew, balyw, from Old English bielġ (“bag, pouch, bulge”), from Proto-West Germanic *balgi, *balgu, from Proto-Germanic *balgiz, *balguz (“skin, hide, bellows, bag”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰelǵʰ- (“to swell, blow up”). Cognate with Dutch balg, German Balg, Danish bælg, Old Irish bolg, Welsh bol. Doublet of bellows, blague, bulge, and budge. See also bellows.
For the belly — bellows relation, compare typologically Macedonian мев (mev, “abdomen, belly; bellows”). Also compare Ancient Greek φῦσα (phûsa, “bellows; bladder; ...”), Latin venter — vēsīca, Russian пу́зо (púzo) — пузы́рь (puzýrʹ), пузырёк (puzyrjók).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Before I formed thee in the bellie, I knew thee; […]"
— 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Jeremiah 1:5:
"There was no heat, and we shivered in the belly of the plane."
— 1994, Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela, London: Abacus, published 2010, page 454:
"[…] I cried by reason of mine affliction vnto the Lord, and hee heard mee; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voyce."
— 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Jonah 2:2:
"At last I got my knife and cut the halyards. The peak dropped instantly, a great belly of loose canvas floated broad upon the water […]"
— 1881–1882, Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island, London; Paris: Cassell & Company, published 14 November 1883, →OCLC:
"Bellying forward to the edge of the clearing, he found Hans, lying on his face, feathered with arrows like a porcupine."
— 1903 July, Jack London, “The Sounding of the Call”, in The Call of the Wild, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., →OCLC, page 220: