Where does “yellowbelly” come from?
yellowbelly (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-.
yellowbelly (English): A coward; Someone from Lincolnshire; The golden...
Definitions
- A coward; Someone from Lincolnshire; The golden...
Ancestry of “yellowbelly”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | belly | The abdomen, especially a fat one; The stomach;... |
| 2 | Middle English | bely | — |
| 3 | Old English | bielġ | — |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | *balgi | — |
| 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- | — |