belly

belly

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Pronunciation

The IPA phonetic spelling for "belly" is /ˈbɛl.i/.

Here's a breakdown of the sounds in each syllable:

• First syllable (bel):

• /b/ - voiced bilabial plosive (as in "bat")

• /ɛ/ - open-mid front unrounded vowel (as in "bet")

• /l/ - voiced alveolar lateral approximant (as in "light")

• Second syllable (ly):

• /i/ - close front unrounded vowel (as in "see")

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Word Form Variations

• Singular Noun: belly

• Plural Noun: bellies

• Verb (base form): belly

• Verb (third-person singular present): bellies

• Verb (present participle): bellying

• Verb (past tense/past participle): bellied

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Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms

Noun

• Definition 1: The front part of the human or animal body below the chest, containing the digestive organs; the abdomen.

• Synonyms: abdomen, stomach, midriff, gut (informal)

• Antonyms: back, spine

• Definition 2: The rounded, bulging, or deepest part of something, especially a container or a ship.

• Synonyms: bulge, protuberance, swell, curve, hold (of a ship)

• Antonyms: flat, straight, top, bottom (depending on context)

Verb

• Definition 1: To swell out or protrude, especially in a rounded manner.

• Synonyms: bulge, swell, expand, distend, billow

• Antonyms: shrink, contract, deflate, recede

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Examples of Use

Books:

• "He felt a dull ache in his belly, a familiar hunger that no amount of tea seemed to appease." (From The Midnight Library by Matt Haig, August 2020)

• "The old fisherman's belly shook with silent laughter as he recounted the tale of the enormous fish that got away." (From The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway, September 1952)

Newspapers:

• "Economists warn of a growing belly of consumer debt, posing a risk to future spending." (From The Wall Street Journal)

• "The storm clouds, dark and heavy, began to belly over the western mountains, signaling an impending downpour." (From The Daily Nation)

Online Publications:

• "Many online fitness guides focus on exercises to flatten the belly and strengthen core muscles." (From Healthline.com)

• "A recent investigative report delved into the belly of the beast, exposing corruption within the city's zoning department." (From ProPublica.org)

Various Entertainment Mediums and Platforms:

• Film: (Character to another) "He's got a real fire in his belly when it comes to defending his beliefs." (From the film Erin Brockovich, March 2000)

• Television Series: (Voiceover) "The ship, heavily laden with cargo, began to belly out as it sailed into the open ocean." (From Vikings, episode aired January 2017)

• Music: "I've got a restless belly and a wandering soul." (From the song "Ramblin' Man" by The Allman Brothers Band, August 1973)

General Public Discourse:

• "After that huge meal, I just want to unbutton my pants and let my belly out." (Casual conversation among friends, ongoing)

• "Don't belly up to the bar if you're not planning on buying a round." (Common idiom for approaching a bar, ongoing)

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10 Quotes Using Belly

1. "The way to a man's heart is through his belly." (Traditional Proverb)

2. "A full belly makes a dull brain." (Benjamin Franklin)

3. "Conscience is a warns't that makes you think somebody is looking." (Mark Twain)

4. "The darkest places in hell are reserved for those who maintain their neutrality in times of moral crisis." (Dante Alighieri, often paraphrased as "The hottest places in Hell are reserved for those who, in a period of moral crisis, maintain their neutrality.")

5. "An army marches on its belly." (Napoleon Bonaparte)

6. "He that has a great belly has no brains." (Jonathan Swift)

7. "I have a great belly of a belly of a belly!" (William Shakespeare, Henry IV, Part 1)

8. "My belly is full, but my heart is empty." (Traditional saying)

9. "The love of liberty is the love of others; the love of power is the love of ourselves." (William Hazlitt)

10. "Put your money where your mouth is." (Traditional Proverb)

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Etymology

The word "belly" has a pretty old and interesting history! It comes from a very ancient idea of something swelling up or being like a bag.

• The Deepest Roots (Proto-Indo-European): The journey of "belly" starts with a very old, reconstructed language called Proto-Indo-European (PIE). Here, we find a root word like *bhelgʰ-, which essentially meant "to swell" or "to puff up."

• Into Germanic (Proto-Germanic): From that PIE root, we move to Proto-Germanic (the ancestor of English, German, Dutch, etc.). Here, the word became something like *balgiz, which specifically meant "bag," "pouch," or "bellows" (like the tool used to blow air, which swells up).

• Old English: When English was first forming (what we call Old English, before 1150 AD), the word evolved into forms like belg or bælig. At this point, it still broadly meant "bag," "purse," "pouch," or even the "bellows" used to make a fire. The idea of something that swells or is rounded like a bag was still central.

• Middle English and Beyond: By around 1200 AD, the word beli or bely started to be used more specifically for the "stomach" or "abdomen," especially in the sense of being full or bulging (like a bag). By the late 14th century, it firmly referred to the front part of the body between the chest and the groin in humans and animals. The meaning of "bulging part" of an object, like a ship's hull, also developed later, around the late 1500s.

So, in short, the first known use and meaning of "belly" (in its Old English form) was as a word for a "bag" or anything that "swells" or "bulges" like a bag. It wasn't until later that it narrowed down to specifically mean the part of our body we know today. You can even see the connection still in words like "bellows," which share the same ancient root and also refer to something that swells with air.

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Phrases + Idioms Containing Belly

• Belly up: To go bankrupt or fail completely (e.g., "The company went belly up after the recession.")

• Belly laugh: A deep, hearty laugh.

• Belly dance: A Middle Eastern dance involving undulating movements of the belly.

• Belly ache: A pain in the stomach; also, informally, a complaint or grumble.

• Belly out: To swell or bulge outwards, especially of sails or a container.

• Belly button: The navel; the scar on the belly left after the umbilical cord is removed.

• Belly flop: A dive into water where one lands flat on one's belly.

• Warm one's belly: To eat a satisfying meal or drink a warm beverage.

• Have a fire in one's belly: To be highly motivated, ambitious, or passionate.

• To go belly to belly: To confront someone directly and aggressively.

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Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA

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Source Information

Definition of belly from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.

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