midriff C2+ Topic:Space, Position & Direction US /ˈmɪdrɪf/ UK /ˈmɪdrɪf/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 noun the front of the body between the chest and the waist The dancer's costume left her midriff bare. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 noun · the front of the body... waistmidsectiondiaphragmbellystomach Word family Related forms mid Etymology AI details From Old English midhrif, from midd 'middle' + hrif 'belly, womb', the latter from Proto-Germanic *hrefiz, from Proto-Indo-European *kʷrep- 'body, form'. midhrif Old English hrif Old English *kʷrep- Proto-Indo-European View etymology graph -> Topics Space, Position & Direction External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # midriff **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** noun **IPA (US):** /ˈmɪdrɪf/ **IPA (UK):** /ˈmɪdrɪf/ ## Meanings 1. the front of the body between the chest and the waist ## Examples - The dancer's costume left her midriff bare. ## Synonyms - waist - midsection - diaphragm - belly - stomach ## Related Forms - mid ## Roots and Affixes - Root: midhrif - Root: hrif - Root: *kʷrep- ## Etymology From Old English midhrif, from midd 'middle' + hrif 'belly, womb', the latter from Proto-Germanic *hrefiz, from Proto-Indo-European *kʷrep- 'body, form'. ## AI Etymology Midriff comes from Old English midhrif, from midd 'middle' + hrif 'belly, womb', the latter from Proto-Germanic *hrefiz, from Proto-Indo-European *kʷrep- 'body, form'. The etymological trail includes Old English midhrif, Old English hrif, Proto-Indo-European *kʷrep-. The same word family includes mid. Its current noun use means "the front of the body between the chest and the waist". ## Topics - Space, Position & Direction markdown