belt

A2 Topic:Clothing & Appearance

US /bɛlt/ See IPA manual

Freq #2667

Meanings

1

noun
A strip of leather or cloth worn around the waist to hold up clothes or for decoration.

My trousers don't stay up without a belt.
2

noun
A strap used for safety, such as a seat belt.

Keep your belt fastened during the flight.
3

noun
A continuous band in a machine that transfers motion or power.

The motor turned a belt that ran around several wheels.
4

verb
To fasten with a belt.

He belted his coat tightly against the cold.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a strip of leather or cloth... sash strap waistband

More restraint

Word family

Forms beltedbeltingbelts

Derived forms belt-drivebelt-drivenbelt-fedbelt-sandbelt-tightenbelt-tighteningbeltedbelterbeltfishbeltfulbeltlessbeltlike

Appears in

Phrases (2)

See all

asteroid belt
the region between Mars and Jupiter where many asteroids orbit the Sun

Noun + noun
garter belt
a belt with hanging straps used to hold stockings up

Noun + noun

Idioms (1)

See all

tighten your belt
To spend less money because you have less than before.

Simplified etymology

Belt is an Old English word ultimately traced to Latin balteus, meaning “baldric” or “girdle.” The verb originally meant to put a belt on. Its mid-16th-century sense “strike” came from hitting someone with a belt, and this probably also gave rise to the late-19th-century sense “move very fast.”

Etymology

From Middle English belt, from Old English belt (“belt, girdle”), from Proto-West Germanic *baltī̆, from Proto-Germanic *baltijaz (“girdle, belt”), from Latin balteus (“belt, sword-belt”), of Etruscan origin. Cognate with Scots belt (“belt”), Dutch belt, German Balz (“belt”), Danish bælte (“belt”), Swedish bälte (“belt, cincture, girdle, zone”) and Icelandic belti (“belt”).

belt Old English *baltī̆ Proto-West Germanic *baltijaz Proto-Germanic balteus Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Clothing & Appearance

External links

# belt

**Type:** Word
**Level:** A2
**Part of speech:** noun, verb
**IPA (US):** /bɛlt/
**Frequency rank:** 2667

## Meanings
1. A strip of leather or cloth worn around the waist to hold up clothes or for decoration.
2. A strap used for safety, such as a seat belt.
3. A continuous band in a machine that transfers motion or power.
4. To fasten with a belt.

## Examples
- My trousers don't stay up without a belt.
- Keep your belt fastened during the flight.
- The motor turned a belt that ran around several wheels.
- He belted his coat tightly against the cold.

## Synonyms
- restraint

## Derived Forms
- belt-drive
- belt-driven
- belt-fed
- belt-sand
- belt-tighten
- belt-tightening
- belted
- belter
- beltfish
- beltful
- beltless
- beltlike

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: belt
- Root: *baltī̆
- Root: *baltijaz
- Root: balteus

## Etymology
From Middle English belt, from Old English belt (“belt, girdle”), from Proto-West Germanic *baltī̆, from Proto-Germanic *baltijaz (“girdle, belt”), from Latin balteus (“belt, sword-belt”), of Etruscan origin. Cognate with Scots belt (“belt”), Dutch belt, German Balz (“belt”), Danish bælte (“belt”), Swedish bälte (“belt, cincture, girdle, zone”) and Icelandic belti (“belt”).

## AI Etymology
Belt comes from Middle English belt, from Old English belt (“belt, girdle”), from Proto-West Germanic *baltī̆, from Proto-Germanic *baltijaz (“girdle, belt”), from Latin balteus (“belt, sword-belt”), of Etruscan origin. Cognate with Scots belt (“belt”), Dutch belt, German Balz (“belt”), Danish bælte (“belt”), Swedish bälte (“belt, cincture, girdle, zone”) and Icelandic belti (“belt”).

## Topics
- Clothing & Appearance

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