Definify.com

Webster 1913 Edition


Belly

Bel′ly

(bĕl′ly̆)
,
Noun.
;
pl.
Bellies
(-lĭz)
.
[OE.
bali
,
bely
, AS.
belg
,
bælg
,
bælig
, bag, bellows, belly; akin to Icel.
belgr
bag, bellows, Sw.
bälg
, Dan.
bælg
, D. & G.
balg
, cf. W.
bol
the paunch or belly, dim.
boly
, Ir.
bolg
. Cf.
Bellows
,
Follicle
,
Fool
,
Bilge
.]
1.
That part of the human body which extends downward from the breast to the thighs, and contains the bowels, or intestines; the abdomen.
☞ Formerly all the splanchnic or visceral cavities were called bellies; – the lower belly being the abdomen; the middle belly, the thorax; and the upper belly, the head.
Dunglison.
2.
The under part of the body of animals, corresponding to the human belly.
Underneath the
belly
of their steeds.
Shakespeare
3.
The womb.
[Obs.]
Before I formed thee in the
belly
I knew thee.
Jer. i. 5.
4.
The part of anything which resembles the human belly in protuberance or in cavity; the innermost part;
as, the
belly
of a flask, muscle, sail, ship
.
Out of the
belly
of hell cried I.
Jonah ii. 2.
5.
(Arch.)
The hollow part of a curved or bent timber, the convex part of which is the back.
Belly doublet
,
a doublet of the 16th century, hanging down so as to cover the belly.
Shak.
Belly fretting
,
the chafing of a horse’s belly with a girth.
Johnson.
Belly timber
,
food.
[Ludicrous]
Prior.
Belly worm
,
a worm that breeds or lives in the belly (stomach or intestines).
Johnson.

Bel′ly

,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Bellied
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Bellying
.]
To cause to swell out; to fill.
[R.]
Your breath of full consent
bellied
his sails.
Shakespeare

Bel′ly

,
Verb.
I.
To swell and become protuberant, like the belly; to bulge.
The
bellying
canvas strutted with the gale.
Dryden.

Webster 1828 Edition


Belly

BEL'LY

,
Noun.
1.
That part of the human body which extends from the breast to the thighs, containing the bowels. It is called also the abdomen or lower belly, to distinguish it from the head and breast, which are sometimes called bellies, from their cavity.
2.
The part of a beast, corresponding to the human belly.
3.
The womb. Jer. 1.5.
4.
The receptacle of food; that which requires food, in opposition to the back.
Whose god is their belly. Phil.3.
5.
The part of any thing which resembles the human belly in protuberance or cavity, as of a harp or a bottle.
6.
Any hollow inclosed place; as the belly of hell, in Jonah.
7.
In scripture, belly is used for the heart. Prov.18.8. 20.30.John 7.38. Carnal lusts, sensual pleasure. Rom.16.18. Phil.3.19. The whole man. Tit.1.12.

BEL'LY

,
Verb.
T.
To fill; to swell out.

BEL'LY

,
Verb.
I.
To swell and become protuberant, like the belly; as bellying goblets; bellying canvas.
1.
To strut.

Definition 2024


belly

belly

English

The belly of a pregnant woman.

Noun

belly (plural bellies)

  1. The abdomen, especially a fat one.
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Dunglison to this entry?)
  2. The stomach.
  3. The womb.
    • Bible, Jer. i. 5
      Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee.
  4. The lower fuselage of an airplane.
    • 1994, Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom, Abacus 2010, p. 454:
      There was no heat, and we shivered in the belly of the plane.
  5. The part of anything which resembles the human belly in protuberance or in cavity; the innermost part.
    the belly of a flask, muscle, violin, sail, or ship
    • Bible, Jonah ii. 2
      Out of the belly of **** cried I.
  6. (architecture) The hollow part of a curved or bent timber, the convex part of which is the back.

Derived terms

Usage notes

  • Formerly, all the splanchnic or visceral cavities were called bellies: the lower belly being the abdomen; the middle belly, the thorax; and the upper belly, the head.
  • Applied to the human body, the word is nowadays considered by some to be impolite or even coarse.

Translations

See also

Verb

belly (third-person singular simple present bellies, present participle bellying, simple past and past participle bellied)

  1. To position one's belly.
  2. (intransitive) To swell and become protuberant; to bulge.
    • Dryden
      The bellying canvas strutted with the gale.
  3. (transitive) To cause to swell out; to fill.
    • Shakespeare
      Your breath of full consent bellied his sails.

Derived terms