Belly \Bel"ly\ (b[e^]l"l[y^]), n.; pl. Bellies (-l[i^]z). [OE.
bali, bely, AS. belg, b[ae]lg, b[ae]lig, bag, bellows, belly;
akin to Icel. belgr bag, bellows, Sw. b["a]lg, Dan. b[ae]lg,
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.) 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.
Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)
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