释义 |
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2024bel•ly /ˈbɛli/USA pronunciation n., pl. -lies, v., -lied, -ly•ing. n. [countable] - Anatomythe abdomen of an animal:cheetahs resting on their bellies in the hot sun.
- Anatomythe stomach:His huge belly hung out over his belt.
- the interior of something: a ship's belly.
v. - to (cause to) fill out or swell: [~ + object]Wind bellied the sails.[no object]sails bellying in the wind.
- Informal Termsbelly up, [no object] Informal. to approach very closely: He bellied up to the bar and shouted for a drink.
Idioms- Idioms, Informal Terms go or turn belly up, Informal. to come to an end;
die; fail:When his business went belly up he refused to give up.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2024bel•ly (bel′ē),USA pronunciation n., pl. -lies, v., -lied, -ly•ing. n. - Anatomythe front or under part of a vertebrate body from the breastbone to the pelvis, containing the abdominal viscera;
the abdomen. - Anatomythe stomach with its adjuncts.
- appetite or capacity for food;
gluttony. - the womb.
- the inside or interior of anything:the belly of a ship.
- a protuberant or bulging surface of anything:the belly of a flask.
- Anatomythe fleshy part of a muscle.
- the front, inner, or under surface or part, as distinguished from the back.
- Music and Dancethe front surface of a violin or similar instrument.
- Building, Civil Engineeringa bulge on a vertical surface of fresh concrete.
- Aeronauticsthe underpart of the fuselage of an airplane.
v.t. - to fill out;
swell:Wind bellied the sails. v.i. - to swell out:Sails bellying in the wind.
- to crawl on one's belly:soldiers bellying through a rice paddy.
- belly up to, [Informal.]
- to approach closely, esp. until one is in physical contact:to belly up to a bar.
- to curry favor from:Would you have gotten the promotion if you hadn't bellied up to the boss?
- go or turn belly up, [Informal.]to come to an end;
die; fail:After years of barely surviving on donations, the neighborhood social club finally went belly up.
- bef. 950; Middle English bely, Old English belig, belg bag, skin; cognate with German Balg, Gothic balgs, Old Norse belgr sack; akin to Welsh bol(a), boly, Irish bolg sack, belly, bellows, Serbo-Croatian blàzina, Latvian pabàlsts, Avestan barəziŝ-, Persian bālish cushion
bel′ly•like′, adj. |