Link Centre Dictionary

belch

UK/ˈbɛltʃ/ US/ˈbɛltʃ/ uncommon obsolete
noun (1) verb (2)

noun

1.

verb

1.

expel gas from the stomach

  • “In China it is polite to burp at the table”
Synonyms
2.

become active and spew forth lava and rocks

  • “Vesuvius erupts once in a while”
Synonyms

Origin

From Middle English belchen, from Old English bielċan, from Proto-Germanic *balkijaną, *belkaną, probably ultimately of imitative origin. Related to Dutch balken (“to bray”), Middle Low German belken (“to shout”), Low German bölken (“to shout, bark”), Old English bealċettan (“to utter, send forth”). See also English bolk, boak.

Phrases

  • pass gas

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.