paunch

Pronunciation

• IPA: /pɔːnt͡ʃ/^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English paunche,^[2][3][4] from Anglo-Norman panche and Old French pance “belly”,^{[2][3][5][4][6]} from Latin pantex (“belly, bowels”),^{[2][3][5][4][6]} possibly related to pānus “swelling”.^[3][5] It is related to Spanish panza and Italian pancia.^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

The belly or abdomen (1373–75).^[3][7][5] Earlier it named plate armour worn to protect the belly (early 14th century).^[5]

Semantic evolution

Etymonline notes that it was extended to the maw or gullet, usually in contexts of greed,^[5] and the OED records the sense of the first stomach of a ruminant, the rumen (about 1420).^[7][2][4] As said of people, it now usually means a large, protruding belly.^[7][2][6]

Timeline

• 1186 – in a surname.^[3]
• early 14th century – belly armour.^[5]
• 1373–75 – the belly.^[3][7]
• about 1420 – the rumen of a ruminant.^[7]
• 1530 – verb, to stab in the belly.^[7]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. The belly, especially a large and protruding one; a potbelly.
2. The first stomach of a ruminant; the rumen.

Word family

• paunched
• paunchy

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
3. ^ a b c d e f g Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
4. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
5. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
6. ^ a b c Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
7. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press