belly Hear it!

belly definition

belly (bel′ē)

noun pl. bellies -·lies

  1. the lower front part of the human body between the chest and thighs; abdomen
  2. the underside of an animal's body
  3. the abdominal cavity
  4. the stomach
  5. an appetite for food
  6. the deep interior the belly of a ship
  7. 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
  8. the front part or underside of anything
  9. Archaic the womb

Etymology: 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 -·lied, bellying -·ly·ing

to swell out; curve out; bulge
belly Idioms

belly up

☆
Slang to stand or step close as to a counter or railing

go belly up

Slang
  1. to die: said as of a fish
  2. to fail; often, specif., to become bankrupt

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Alternate definitions:

idioms belly idiom

medical belly definition - medical

belly Synonyms

belly

n.

stomach, paunch, gut*; see abdomen.


belly

v.

swell, bulge or curve out, unfold; see fill 2, spread 3.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

belly Usage Examples

Preposition: of

  • pork: At 6pm, gorged myself on some rather fatty belly of pork.

Converse of object

  • braise: Braised organic pork belly in five spice also impresses: large squares of tender pork stewed with whole garlic cloves & wood ear mushroom.

Adjective modifier

  • swelly: So here's to the demise of the swelly belly and overhang - cheers!

Modifies a noun

  • dancing: Belly Dancing - I had long been drawn to making the attempt.

Noun used with modifier

  • pork: You make a futures contract in which they agree to sell you 10,000 tons of pork belly at?1,000 a ton in three months.
belly usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

belly quotes

   Back and side go bare, go bare, Both foot and hand go cold; But, belly,God send thee good ale enough, Whether it be new or old.

-Anonymous

To the Glorious,Pious, and Immortal Memory of King William theThird,Prince of Orange, who delivered us from Popes and Popery, Knaves and Knavery, Slaves and Slavery, Brass Money, and Wooden Shoes, and He that Will Not Take thisToast May He Be Damn'd,Cramm'd, and Jamm'd Down the Great Gun of Athlone, and the Gun Fired in the Pope's Belly, and the Pope Fired in the Devil's Belly, and the Devil Fired into Hell, and the Door Lock'd, and the Key Forever in the Pocket of a Stout Orangeman. And Here's a Fart for the Bishop of Cork!

-Anonymous

And the L God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly thou shalt go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: And I will put enmity between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

-Bible (Old Testament)

belly quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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"belly." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 5 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/belly>

APA Style

belly. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 5th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/belly

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