bellyache C2+ Topic:General Vocabulary US /ˈbɛliˌeɪk/ UK /ˈbɛliˌeɪk/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 noun a pain in the stomach; to complain peevishly Stop bellyaching and finish the job. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 noun · a pain in the stomach; to... complaingrumblegripewhinemoangrouse Word family Derived forms bellyacherbellyaching Related forms bellyache Etymology AI details From belly + ache; belly from Old English belg ('bag, pouch') and ache from Old English æce ('pain'). The 'complain' sense is 19th-century American slang. belg Old English æce Old English View etymology graph -> Topics General Vocabulary External links Google Images Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary # bellyache **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** noun **IPA (US):** /ˈbɛliˌeɪk/ **IPA (UK):** /ˈbɛliˌeɪk/ ## Meanings 1. a pain in the stomach; to complain peevishly ## Examples - Stop bellyaching and finish the job. ## Synonyms - complain - grumble - gripe - whine - moan - grouse ## Derived Forms - bellyacher - bellyaching ## Related Forms - belly - ache ## Roots and Affixes - Root: belg - Root: æce ## Etymology From belly + ache; belly from Old English belg ('bag, pouch') and ache from Old English æce ('pain'). The 'complain' sense is 19th-century American slang. ## AI Etymology Bellyache is from belly + ache; belly from Old English belg ('bag, pouch') and ache from Old English æce ('pain'). The 'complain' sense is 19th-century American slang. Important recorded forms include belg (Old English) and æce (Old English). Morphologically, the word is a built form whose named elements carry part of the historical sense. The current sense covers a pain in the stomach; to complain peevishly. The wider family includes derived forms such as bellyacher and bellyaching and related words such as belly and ache. ## Topics - General Vocabulary markdown