belly Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun the region of the body of a vertebrate between the thorax and the pelvis
    venter; stomach; abdomen.
  2. noun a protruding abdomen
    paunch.
  3. noun a part that bulges deeply
    • the belly of a sail
  4. noun the hollow inside of something
    • in the belly of the ship
  5. noun the underpart of the body of certain vertebrates such as snakes or fish
  6. verb swell out or bulge out
    belly out.

WordNet

Bel"ly noun
Etymology
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.
Wordforms
plural Bellies
Definitions
  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. 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.) The hollow part of a curved or bent timber, the convex part of which is the back.
Bel"ly transitive verb
Wordforms
imperfect & past participle Bellied present participle & verbal noun Bellying
Definitions
  1. To cause to swell out; to fill. R.
    Your breath of full consent bellied his sails. Shak.
Bel"ly intransitive verb
Definitions
  1. To swell and become protuberant, like the belly; to bulge.
    The bellying canvas strutted with the gale. Dryden.

Webster 1913