BELLY
belly
(noun) the underpart of the body of certain vertebrates such as snakes or fish
belly, paunch
(noun) a protruding abdomen
abdomen, venter, stomach, belly
(noun) the region of the body of a vertebrate between the thorax and the pelvis
belly
(noun) the hollow inside of something; “in the belly of the ship”
belly
(noun) a part that bulges deeply; “the belly of a sail”
belly, belly out
(verb) swell out or bulge out
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Noun
belly (plural bellies)
The abdomen, especially a fat one.
The stomach.
The womb.
The lower fuselage of an airplane.
The part of anything which resembles the human belly in protuberance or in cavity; the innermost part.
(architecture) The hollow part of a curved or bent timber, the convex part of which is the back.
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.
Verb
belly (third-person singular simple present bellies, present participle bellying, simple past and past participle bellied)
To position one’s belly; to move on one’s belly.
(intransitive) To swell and become protuberant; to bulge or billow.
(transitive) To cause to swell out; to fill.
Source: Wiktionary
Bel"ly, n.; pl. Bellies. Etym: [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.
Note: 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. Shak.
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.)
Definition: 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, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bellied; p. pr. & vb. n. Bellying.]
Definition: To cause to swell out; to fill. [R.]
Your breath of full consent bellied his sails. Shak.
Bel"ly, v. i.
Definition: To swell and become protuberant, like the belly; to bulge.
The bellying canvas strutted with the gale. Dryden.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition