Where does “potbelly” come from?
potbelly (English) comes from English belly, from Middle English bely, from Old English bielġ, from Proto-West Germanic *balgi, from Proto-Germanic balgiz, from Proto-Indo-European bʰelǵʰ-, from Proto-Indo-European bʰel-, from Proto-Indo-European bʰōl-.
potbelly (English): A large, swollen, or protruding abdomen; a...
Definitions
- A large, swollen, or protruding abdomen; a...
Ancestry of “potbelly”, step by step
potbelly traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
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- | — |
via English pot
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | pot | A flat-bottomed vessel used for cooking food;... |
| 2 | Middle English | pot | A pot; a circular receptacle or vessel; The top... |
| 3 | Old French | pot | pot; third-person singular present indicative of... |
| 4 | Vulgar Latin | pottum | — |
| 5 | Frankish | *pott | — |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | puttaz | pot, jar, tub |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | budn- | a kind of vessel; type of vessel; a type of... |