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belly

belly

56 2.3
Rounded middle part of an object, for example a vase or a ship
  • noun
  • /ˈbɛli/
translation icon : vientre
  • There is a round cavity in the belly of the child, meant to contain power-rendering materials.
  • belly of the pot
  • belly of the beast
  • belly of the instrument

Examples

  • You brought your kid to the belly of the beast.

  • Then she laid her hand on her belly and said, "But pretty soon I'll have company."

    Fiction book (1991)
  • Shine the light on the belly.

  • The next major task was to carve the back and belly into the correct form.

    Academic text (1994)
  • The generous curve of a pot's belly echoes the swollen womb of a pregnant woman.

    Academic text (1996)
  • The artist carefully shaped the belly of the ceramic vase to make it more aesthetically pleasing.

  • The belly of the ship was spacious enough to hold all the supplies for the long voyage.

  • He was fascinated by the belly of the large balloon, which seemed to sway gently in the wind.

Idioms

7 8.9

The most dangerous part at the center of a situation

belly-up
  • Informal
6 7.1

A company or shop that is not operating because it has no money

4 6.6

A strong wish to succeed that makes you try very hard

Compounds

24 1.0

A small round mark on the stomach where the baby was attached before birth

6 3.4

A fatty cut of pork from the pig's belly that people cook, for example to make bacon

4 2.9

A loud deep sound people make when something is very funny

3 3.6

A woman who moves her hips and stomach to music in a Middle Eastern style

A dance from the Middle East where a dancer moves the hips and stomach in soft flowing movements

1 4.1

A dive where the stomach hits the water flat and hurts

Delhi belly
  • Informal
1 9.2

A stomach illness you get from unsafe food or water when traveling

A small part in the middle of the stomach that sticks out

A dive where your stomach hits the water and hurts

A Middle Eastern dance with smooth hip and stomach movements

A dive where someone lands flat on their stomach and feels a painful hit

belly flop
  • Informal
4.4

An embarrassing failure of a plan, event, or show

A dive in which the front of the body lands flat on the water with a loud splash

belly-timber
  • Archaic
9.9

Food that people eat to fill their stomachs during work or travel

9.6

A small lizard with a blue belly often seen on rocks

A woman who moves her stomach and hips in a colorful foreign dance to entertain people

9.9

The stomach of an opossum that people use for cooking

How Rounded

bulge
42 3.2
belly
56 2.3

Surface Forms

belly singular
bellies plural

Etymology

Belly comes from the same old word belg meaning 'bag' or 'sack', so it naturally became the name for the rounded or hollow middle of a thing, like the 'belly' of a boat or a vase.