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"belly, tummy" in seven languages

Meaningbelly, tummy

Spanish

barriga

/baˈriɡa/

fem.other source · of uncertain origin (Corominas suggests barrica 'barrel')

Also tripa; vientre (from VENTREM) is the formal word and panza (from PANTICEM) a paunch.

French

ventre

/vɑ̃tʁ/

masc.other source · Latin VENTREM 'belly'

Panse, from PANTICEM, is a paunch or a cow's first stomach.

Italian

pancia

/ˈpantʃa/

fem.inherited

Ventre also exists, in a more formal register.

Portuguese

barriga

/baˈhiɡɐ/

fem.other source · of uncertain origin, shared with Spanish barriga

Romanian

burtă

/ˈburtə/

fem.other source · of unknown origin

Pântece, from PANTICEM, is the literary word.

Catalan

panxa

/ˈpanʃə/

fem.inherited

Ventre, from VENTREM, is more formal.

English

belly

/ˈbɛli/

native English · Old English belg 'bag'

English → Italianbelly, tummypanciaNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: paunch (via Anglo-Norman paunche).What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

PANTICEM‘belly, paunch’

All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.

The story

Latin had VENTER for the belly and PANTEX for a paunch. Italian pancia and Catalan panxa made the paunch the everyday word, while French kept VENTREM — the belly in ventriloquist, a 'belly-speaker'.

English relatives: paunch (via Anglo-Norman paunche)

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In a sentence

  • esMe duele la barriga.
  • frJ'ai mal au ventre.
  • itMi fa male la pancia.
  • ptEstou com dor de barriga.
  • roMă doare burta.
  • caEm fa mal la panxa.
  • enMy belly hurts.

More in The body

All The body words