noun pl. bellies
- the lower front part of the human body between the chest and thighs; abdomen
- the underside of an animal's body
- the abdominal cavity
- the stomach
- an appetite for food
- the deep interior: the belly of a ship
- any part, surface, or section that curves outward or bulges, as the swelling part of a sail in the wind, the fleshy middle part of a muscle, or the upper surface of a violin
- the front part or underside of anything
- Archaic the womb
Origin:
ME beli < OE belg, leather bag, purse, bellows < IE base *bhelĝh-, to swell, bag (< *bhel-, to inflate) > Ir bolg, sack, belly, ON bylgja, billow, Goth balgs, leather bottle
transitive verb, intransitive verb bellied, bellying
to swell out; curve out; bulge