# stomach (belly / organ)



## elroy

In English the word "stomach" is ambiguous.  It can mean either the belly or the organ that is part of the digestive system.

Arabic, Hebrew, and German all have distinct words for these:

belly / organ:
Arabic:  بطن / معدة
Hebrew:  בטן / קיבה
German: Bauch / Magen

What about other languages?


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## AndrasBP

elroy said:


> What about other languages?



Two distinct words in the following languages:

Hungarian: has / gyomor
Russian: живот / желудок
Lithuanian: pilvas / skrandis


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## סייבר־שד

In Mexican Spanish, *estómago*, like informal *panza*, can also be used to refer to either the belly or the organ. However, for the former you could also employ *vientre*, which only means that, "belly".


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## elroy

Wow, I had no idea "panza" could be used for the organ!  The Palestinian Arabic word بنص /bansˤ/, which I've always assumed was a borrowing from "panza," is a childish derogartory term for someone who is overweight or chubby (like "fatso" in English), so I assumed that "panza" specifically meant a protruding belly (a paunch or a "beer belly").

In Palestinian Arabic:

معدة /miʕde/ = stomach as an organ
بطن /batˤen/ = stomach as in abdomen/belly (neutral)
كرش /karʃ/ = protruding belly / paunch / "beer belly" 
بنص /bansˤ/ = "fatso"

So I take it "panza" can be used for any of the first three in Mexican Spanish?


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## apmoy70

Greek:

Belly: *«Κοιλιά»* [ci.ˈʎa] (fem.) which is the Classical *«κοιλίᾱ» koilíā* with synizesis --> _abdomen, belly, body cavity in general_ < Classical adjective *«κοῖλος, -λη, -λον»** koîlŏs* (masc.), *koílē* (fem.), *koîlŏn* (neut.) --> _hollow_.

Stomach: *«Στομάχι»* [s̠t̠o̞.ˈma.çi] (neut.) < Byzantine neuter diminutive *«στομάχι(ο)ν» stomákhi(o)n* < Classical masc. noun *«στόμαχος» stómăkʰŏs* --> _gullet, throat_ (etymologically speaking, it's from the noun *«στόμα» stómă* --> _mouth_ (PIE *steh₃-mn- _mouth_ cf. Hit. ištāman- _ear_, Av. staman- _mouth of a dog_) + same suffix *«-αχος/-αχός» -ăkʰos/-ăkʰós* as in *«οὐραχός» ourăkʰós* --> _outer end of the eyebrows, of a stalk_; the construction is remarkable with the first part of the word being IE and a suffix being Pre-Greek).

Protruding belly: *«Μπιροκοιλιά»* [bi.ɾo̞.ci.ˈʎa] (fem.) --> _beer-belly_, *«πατσοκοιλιά»* [pa.t̠͡s̠o̞.ci.ˈʎa] (fem.) --> _muffin-top, paunch_ (the first member is *«πατσές»* [pa.ˈt̠͡s̠e̞s̠] (fem. nom. pl.) --> _(slang) body fat that extends over the edges of the waistline_ < Turkish paça [pa.ˈt͡ʃa] --> _pluck or organ meats of a butchered animal_).

Fatso: *«Κοιλαράς»* [ci.la.ˈɾas̠] (masc.), *«κοιλαρού»* [ci.la.ˈɾu] (fem.) which is the augmentative of «κοιλιά» (see above).


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## Dymn

*Catalan*:

belly - _panxa_
organ - _estómac_


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## elroy

Dymn said:


> belly - _panxa_


Which of these three can it be used for? 


elroy said:


> معدة /miʕde/ = stomach as an organ
> بطن /batˤen/ = stomach as in abdomen/belly (neutral)
> كرش /karʃ/ = protruding belly / paunch / "beer belly"



A follow-up to my original question: 


elroy said:


> belly / organ:
> Arabic: بطن / معدة


In Palestinian Arabic, "I have a stomachache" or "My stomach hurts" can be expressed using either one of these, but بطن ("belly") is actually more common.  What about other languages?


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## apmoy70

elroy said:


> A follow-up to my original question:
> 
> In Palestinian Arabic, "I have a stomachache" or "My stomach hurts" can be expressed using either one of these, but بطن ("belly") is actually more common.  What about other languages?


*«Στομαχόπονος»* [s̠t̠o̞.ma.ˈxo̞.po̞.no̞s̠] (masc.) --> _stomach-pain_ (the second member in the compound is *«πόνος»* [ˈpo̞.no̞s̠] (masc.) --> _pain_ < Classical masc. noun *«πόνος» pónŏs* --> _hard labour, effort, struggle, sorrow_, as second member in compounds, _ending pain_, o-grade deverbative from the deponent v. *«πένομαι» pénŏmai* --> _to exert oneself, toil, work, prepare, provide, do hard labour_ (PIE *(s)penh₁- _to stretch, strain_ cf. Lith. pinti, _to weave, braid_, Proto-Germanic *spinnaną. Greek has undergone a semantic shift from _to stretch_ > _to exert oneself_)).

*«Κοιλόπονος»* [ci.ˈlo̞.po̞.no̞s̠] (masc.) --> _belly-pain_.

In medical jargon they're:

(1) *«Στομαχικό άλγος»* [s̠t̠o̞.ma.çi.ˈko̞.ˈal.ɣo̞s̠] (both neuter) --> _stomachal ache_ (MoGr *«άλγος»* [ˈal.ɣo̞s̠] (neut.) --> _ache_ < Classical neut. noun *«ἄλγος» ắlgŏs* (idem), possibly an o-grade deverbative from the v. *«ἀλέγω» ălégō* --> _to care for, mind, heed_ (PIE *h₂leg- _to care for, mind_).

(2) *«Κοιλιακό άλγος»* [ci.li.a.ˈko̞.ˈal.ɣo̞s̠] (both neuter) --> _abdominal ache_.


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## bearded

In Italian we have:

_pancia_ (informal for belly. The formal words for it are  'ventre' or 'addome'. Cf. English venter, abdomen).Pron.pàntcha

_stomaco_ (the organ, Magen in German). Stress on o (open).

Ho mal di pancia = my belly aches/hurts
Ho mal di stomaco = my stomach aches/hurts

Figuratively:
- non ha avuto lo stomaco di farlo = he didn't have the courage (the 'nerve') to do it.
- quell'uomo ha del pelo sullo stomaco (lit. that man has hairs on his stomach) = that man fears nothing/that's a tough man.


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## Dymn

elroy said:


> Which of these three can it be used for?


2 and 3



elroy said:


> In Palestinian Arabic, "I have a stomachache" or "My stomach hurts" can be expressed using either one of these, but بطن ("belly") is actually more common. What about other languages?


*Catalan*: _Tinc mal de panxa _"I have bellyache".


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## elroy

Dymn said:


> *Catalan*: _Tinc mal de panxa _"I have bellyache".


Is is possible with “estómac”?


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## Dymn

Yes, but it's much less common.


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## amikama

elroy said:


> In Palestinian Arabic, "I have a stomachache" or "My stomach hurts" can be expressed using either one of these, but بطن ("belly") is actually more common. What about other languages?


Only בטן (belly) is used to describe pains.
יש לי כאבי בטן
כואבת לי הבטן

If you say יש לי כאבים בקיבה or כואבת לי הקיבה, you literally mean that you feel pains in this specific organ, not in your belly in general.


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## Yendred

In French, as a primary meaning:
_*ventre *= belly
*estomac *= stomach_

But in some expressions, one can be used instead of the other, for example:
_ventre affamé n'a pas d'oreille _(lit. _a hungry belly has no ear_) = _anyone who is hungry cannot be reasoned
un coup de poing à l'estomac _(lit. _a punch in the stomach_) = _a sudden and painful event_

Similarly to Spanish and Italian, we also have the informal _*panse*_, which can play both roles, depending on the context.
(the name originally comes from the main part of ruminants digestive system, called in English _paunch _or _rumen_)


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## Gavril

Just to be sure, what do you mean by "belly"?

Do you mean the abdomen (the lower part of the torso) as opposed to just the stomach?

Finnish has the terms *vatsa* and *maha*. Either can refer to the stomach or the whole abdomen, although I think that in technical contexts, _vatsa_ tends to mean "abdomen".

A more specific, unambiguous term for "stomach" is *mahalaukku* ("stomach-bag").

_maha_ is from the same source as German _Magen_, Icelandic _magi_, etc. "stomach, belly", whereas _vatsa_ is said to be of Finno-Ugric origin.


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## Welsh_Sion

Can anyone use the equivalent as, literally, '*the stomach of a country*' (probably in better English, '*its heartland*')?  Because that is one of the ways in Cymraeg/Welsh of describing '*the inner part of a country*' (especially, if it is isolated) as well as the stomach or belly.

There are also other words for the last two, and regional/dialectical versions between Northern Welsh, Southern Welsh and Western Welsh.


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## Ansku89

Gavril said:


> Finnish has the terms *vatsa* and *maha*. Either can refer to the stomach or the whole abdomen, although I think that in technical contexts, _vatsa_ tends to mean "abdomen".
> 
> A more specific, unambiguous term for "stomach" is *mahalaukku* ("stomach-bag").


Yes, in medical text vatsa=abdomen and maha=mahalaukku=stomach. In everyday speech vatsa and maha are used as synonyms. Some people even use "vatsalaukku" but that is definitely wrong. Personally I prefer to use only vatsa and mahalaukku and avoid maha to be more clear.


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## hx1997

Mandarin:

stomach (belly): 肚子
stomach (organ): 胃


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## סייבר־שד

elroy said:


> Wow, I had no idea "panza" could be used for the organ!  The Palestinian Arabic word بنص /bansˤ/, which I've always assumed was a borrowing from "panza," is a childish derogartory term for someone who is overweight or chubby (like "fatso" in English), so I assumed that "panza" specifically meant a protruding belly (a paunch or a "beer belly").
> 
> In Palestinian Arabic:
> 
> معدة /miʕde/ = stomach as an organ
> بطن /batˤen/ = stomach as in abdomen/belly (neutral)
> كرش /karʃ/ = protruding belly / paunch / "beer belly"
> بنص /bansˤ/ = "fatso"
> 
> So I take it "panza" can be used for any of the first three in Mexican Spanish?


It could indeed be used for those three, yes, but it definitely remains an informal term, sometimes also childish, and it has a more widespread currency in the third sense, with the first being perhaps the least common, and usually limited to a couple of more or less fixed expressions. 

I didn't know that Palestinian Arabic term , perhaps it entered via French *panse*?


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## Henares

Polish:
1. brzuch - the belly
2. żołądek - the organ


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## Rallino

Turkish:
1. Karın - the abdomen area
2. Mide - the organ
3. Göbek - the belly. This one usually refers to the fat in the abdomen area (for instance, beer belly is bira göbeği.)


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## AutumnOwl

Swedish:
_Magsäck_ - stomach bag  (the organ), compare Finnish, post #15 and #17
_Mage_ - stomach, belly. Can be used for the whole area from the breast bone to the pubic bone, but we also use _buk_ for that area. 
_Buk_ - an Old Swedish/West Germanic word, probably related to to bend, to bow. See German _Bauch_ and Dutch _buik.4
Magsmärta, buksmärta_ - stomach/belly ache/pain. Both can be used for stomach ache for everyday use, but if you visit a doctor it's most likely they will use _buksmärta_. _Magsmärta_ can be used if the pain is on the site of the stomach (organ), gastric pain.
Kalaskula, ölmage, isterbuk - feast/party ball, beer belly, lard belly (for a pautch).

_Veka livet_ (weak life/belly) - an old word for the area of the belly just under the breast bone.
_Underliv_ (underbelly) - still in use for the area above the pubic bone/genital area, mostly used for women.


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