paunch C2+ Topic:General Vocabulary US /pɔntʃ/ UK /pɔːntʃ/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 noun a protruding belly or stomach Years at a desk had given him a noticeable paunch. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 noun · a protruding belly or stomach bellygutpotbellyabdomenstomach Word family Forms paunched Derived forms paunchy Etymology AI details From Middle English paunche, from Old French pance, panche, from Latin pantex ('belly, bowels'). pance Old French pantex Latin View etymology graph -> Topics General Vocabulary External links Google Images Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary # paunch **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** noun **IPA (US):** /pɔntʃ/ **IPA (UK):** /pɔːntʃ/ ## Meanings 1. a protruding belly or stomach ## Examples - Years at a desk had given him a noticeable paunch. ## Synonyms - belly - gut - potbelly - abdomen - stomach ## Derived Forms - paunchy ## Roots and Affixes - Root: pance - Root: pantex ## Etymology From Middle English paunche, from Old French pance, panche, from Latin pantex ('belly, bowels'). ## AI Etymology Paunch comes from Middle English paunche, from Old French pance, panche, from Latin pantex ('belly, bowels'). The form is best read as a historical transfer or inheritance, with its older language material carrying the main semantic load. As a noun, it denotes "a protruding belly or stomach", keeping the historical idea close to its dictionary sense. Relevant historical forms include Old French pance and Latin pantex. Derivative forms include paunchy. ## Topics - General Vocabulary markdown