(a) The human stomach; also fig. and in fig. context; ~ skin, the lining of the stomach; (b) the stomach of an animal, a fish, etc.; the belly of the whale that swallowed Jonah; also, one of the parts of a ruminant’s stomach; ~ chaf, straw, fodder; second ~, a pouchlike enlargement of a bird’s gullet, crop; (c) cook. the stomach of an animal or a fish used as food; oxe(n ~.

(a) The stomach as the primary organ of digestion; also fig. and in fig. context; (b) the stomach as the organ affected by hunger and satiety; also in fig. context; also used metonymically [quots. a1400(a1325) & c1400 Bk.Mother]; ful ~; fillen (the) ~; (c) the stomach as the seat of gluttony or excess; also fig. and in fig. context; also person.; ~ delice, a carnal pleasure; wombe(s joie, gluttony.

(a) As a generalized term for the visceral cavity of the human body containing most of the digestive organs, the abdominal cavity, abdomen; the lower abdomen; the paunch, belly; also, the pierced side of Christ; also, the abdominal cavity of a beast; ~ pote, fig. the cooking pot of the belly; ~ side [see wombe-side n. (a)]; juste ~, a potbelly;—used as term of abuse for a person; swollen of ~, obese, corpulent; (b) mirak of the ~, the abdominal muscles; navele of ones ~, the stomach muscles; nethere ~, the abdominal cavity, abdomen; outre ~, the anterior abdominal wall; sides of the ~, the abdominal wall; (c) ~ ache (sore, wrake), ache of the ~, grindinge in the ~, stomach or abdominal pain, stomach ache; haven ~ overturned, to suffer an upset stomach; slaken ~, relieve the pain in (someone’s) stomach.

(a) The abdomen of a statue or an image; (b) the abdomen of a constellation supposed to be in the form of a human figure.

(a) A belly-shaped part of an object; (b) the section of a medical text dealing with the abdomen.

(a) The surface of the human body over the stomach or abdomen; the surface of the body over the lower abdomen; also, the depression in the middle of the surface of the belly, navel; skin of the ~; (b) the surface of an animal’s body over the belly; the scaly surface of a dragon’s underbelly; ~ lok(es, the inferior wool found on the belly of a sheep; (c) the belly piece of an animal hide or skin; bever (martrin, popel, ruskin) ~; calabre ~, squirrel fur imported from Calabria.

(a) The ventral side or front of the human body; also pl. in fig. context [quot. ?a1439]; (b) slou of ~, of slou ~, lazy.

(a) The ventral side of an animal, a bird, etc., abdomen, underbelly; the belly of a fish; (b) in cpds. and combs.: ~ rop (tou), a strap passing around the belly of a horse, cinch, girth; ~ side [see wombe-side n. (b)]; ~ teie [see wanteie n.]; ~ tou shafte, a rope attached to the cinch of a horse; ~ tou web, a length of webbing from which a horse’s cinch is made; nethere ~, the part of a snake’s underbelly close to its caudal end.

(a) The human uterus, womb; also fig.; specif. the womb of the Virgin Mary; also, the vaginal canal, vagina [quot. a1450 Diseases Women(2)]; ~ gate, the vulva; fruit (wastme) of ~, offspring; (b) the uterus of an animal or a fowl; (c) fig. ?a progenitor; (d) ?transl. of L Alva, apparently the name of a star in the constellation Sagittarius; (e) in asseverations.

In selected prep. phrases: (a) in (withinne) ~, in moder(es ~, withinne the (moder) ~, etc., in utero; also, unborn; of moder(es ~, from (one’s) mother’s womb, while yet unborn; (b) from the ~, from moder(es ~, from birth.

In selected verb phrases: (a) ben in on ~, of siblings: to have the same mother; beren in (on) ~, breden in the moder ~, haven on ~, be pregnant with (a child, twins, etc.), gestate; lien in ~, lien withinne moder ~, be in the womb, be unborn, be gestated; stiren in ~, of an unborn child: begin to manifest signs of life, quicken; (b) ben boren of ~, of a child: to be newly born, be a newborn; ben kut oute of moder ~, be born by Caesarean birth; also, be cut out of the womb prematurely; bringen (leden) oute of ~, cause (sb.) to be born; comen from moder (oute of moderes) ~, fallen from (wenden of) moder ~, severen from ~, be born; (c) don in-to ~, to insert (sth.) into (a woman’s) vagina; entren withinne moder ~, of the devil: enter a pregnant womb to possess the fetus; geten in moder ~, shapen in ~, conceive (a child); (d) in fig. phrases: closen the ~ of, to make (someone’s house) barren, i.e., cut off (someone’s family line); gon oute of ~, be (someone’s) flesh and blood, be legitimate.

(a) The human intestinal track, intestines, bowels; also, the rectum; also, the gut of an animal; louere ~, the abdominal viscera, guts; (b) bollinge (bolning) of ~, swellinge in the ~, flatulence; constipacioun (extensioun, withholdinge) of ~, costiveness; dissolucioun (outpassinge) of the ~, purgation of feces, excretion; flux of the ~, diarrhea; fruit of ~, euph. excrement; (c) ~ clout, the fatty membrane covering the bowels; also the omentum of an animal used as food, tripe; charmere of develes in the ~, an ancient Roman priest practicing divination by inspecting animal entrails, a haruspex.

In selected verb phrases: (a) avoiden the birthen of ~, clensen (esen, purgen, voiden) ~, to void excrement, defecate; voiden the feces of his ~, cause him to defecate; wenden quik oute of ~, of worms: be excreted alive; (b) haven a god ~, to be unconstipated; holden the ~ laxe, holden a god ~, keep the bowels loose; losen the ~, maken the ~ laxe (neshe), relieve the costiveness of the bowels, loosen the bowels; (c) harden ~, of a substance: to thicken matter in the stomach or bowels, bind the bowels.

(a) A cavity within the human body other than that in sense 2a.; the thoracic cavity, chest; also, a chamber or hollow space within a bodily organ; uppermore ~; (b) the interior part (of a cloud); also, the bed (of a river or stream); the ~ of helle, helle ~, the pit of hell; flod ~, a stream bed; (c) astron. the cavity in the thickest plate of the astrolabe; ~ side [see wombe-side n. (c)].

The seat of emotion or of one’s deepest self, heart, soul; in thin ~, of min ~, within you (me).

In surnames.