Where does “bellybutton” come from?
bellybutton (English) comes from English button, from French bouton, from Italian bottone, from Spanish botón, from Old French boton, from Old French bouter, from Frankish bautan, from Proto-West Germanic bautan — to grow, swell; to swell, wax, grow; to blow; to...
bellybutton (English): The navel or umbilicus
Definitions
- The navel or umbilicus
Ancestry of “bellybutton”, step by step
bellybutton traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English button
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | button | A knob or disc that is passed through a loop or (buttonhole), serving as a fastener |
| 2 | French | bouton | button; bud; pimple, spot, zit |
| 3 | Italian | bottone | button; bud |
| 4 | Spanish | botón | button; key; bud |
| 5 | Old French | boton | — |
| 6 | Old French | bouter | to strike; to hit; to place; to put; to enter |
| 7 | Frankish | bautan | to push, strike, beat; to hit, strike; to hit,... |
| 8 | Proto-West Germanic | bautan | to beat |
| 9 | Proto-Germanic | bautaną | to beat, push |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰewd- | to hit, strike; to beat, push; to strike, push,... |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰew- | to grow, swell; to swell, wax, grow; to blow; to... |
via English belly
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | belly | The abdomen, especially a fat one; The stomach;... |
| 2 | Middle English | bely | belly |
| 3 | Old English | bielġ | bag |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | *balgi | leather bag |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | balgiz | bag |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰelǵʰ- | to swell |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰel- | to sound; to speak, roar, bark; shiny, white; to... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰōl- | — |