paunch

English

Etymology

From Middle English paunche, from Old Northern French panche, Old French pance (French panse), from Latin pantex.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pɔːnt͡ʃ/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• (some accents) IPA^(key): /pɑːntʃ/
• Rhymes: -ɔːntʃ, -ɑːntʃ

Noun

paunch (plural paunches)

1. The first compartment of the stomach of a ruminant, the rumen.
2. The contents of this stomach in a slaughtered animal, viewed as food or a byproduct.
3. The belly of a human, especially a large, fat protruding one.

   Since retiring from athletics, he has developed a paunch.

   • 2022 July 26, William Meny & Paul Simms, “The Night Market” (10:28 from the start), in What We Do in the Shadows‎, season 4, episode 4, spoken by Ringmaster (Nick Corirossi):

     “And another sort of weak, flailing blow to the paunch. Neither of these two are in any condition to be fighting.”

4. (nautical) A paunch mat.
5. The thickened rim of a bell, struck by the clapper.

Synonyms

• (protruding belly): See also Thesaurus:paunch.

Derived terms

• air one's paunch
• paunched
• paunchful
• paunchless
• paunchy
• unpaunch

Related terms

• paunce

Translations

first stomach of ruminant; rumen

Bulgarian: търбух (bg) m (tǎrbuh) Czech: bachor (cs) m Dutch: pens (nl) Finnish: pötsi (fi) French: panse (fr) f German: Pansen (de) m Greek: κοιλιά (el) f (koiliá) Hungarian: bendő (hu) Irish: méadail mhór f Italian: pancia (it) f, rumine (it) m Portuguese: pança (pt) f Romanian: rumen (ro) n, ierbar (ro) n, burduhan (ro) n, burduf (ro) n Russian: рубе́ц (ru) m (rubéc) Sicilian: panza (scn) f Spanish: panza (es) f Swedish: våm (sv) c Ukrainian: рубець m (rubecʹ)

large, protruding belly

Arabic: كَرِش f (kariš) Egyptian Arabic: كرش m (kerš) Armenian: փոր (hy) (pʻor) Bulgarian: шкембе (bg) n (škembe) Catalan: panxa (ca) f, (colloquial) butza (ca) f Czech: pupek (cs) m, panděro (cs) n Danish: vom c, bug c Dutch: pens (nl) m, buik (nl) Esperanto: ventro (eo) Finnish: pötsi (fi) French: bedaine (fr) f, panse (fr) f Galician: bandullo (gl) m, andorga f, panza (gl) f, barriga (gl) f Georgian: ღიპი (ɣiṗi) German: Wampe (de) f, Plauze (de) f, Wanst (de) m Gothic: 𐍅𐌰𐌼𐌱𐌰 f (wamba) Greek: προκοίλι (el) n (prokoíli) Hungarian: has (hu), pocak (hu) Irish: maróg f, blonag (ga) f Italian: pancia (it) f, pancione (it) m, buzzo m, trippa (it) f Middle English: paunche Polish: bebech (pl) m Portuguese: pança (pt) f Punjabi: ਗੋਗੜ f (gogaṛ) Romanian: burduhan (ro) n, burdihan (ro) n, pântec (ro) n, pântece (ro) n Russian: брю́хо (ru) n (brjúxo), пу́зо (ru) m (púzo) Spanish: panza (es) f, barriga (es) f, guata (es) f Swedish: buk (sv) c Tagalog: buyon Tamil: தொப்பை (ta) (toppai) Ukrainian: пузо n (puzo), черевце n (čerevce) Volapük: lugötöp Welsh: bol (cy) m, cest f

Verb

paunch (third-person singular simple present paunches, present participle paunching, simple past and past participle paunched)

1. To remove the internal organs of a ruminant, prior to eating.
   • 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene ii]:

     (Caliban)
     Why, as I told thee, 'tis a custom with him
     I' th' afternoon to sleep: there thou may'st brain him,
     Having first seiz'd his books; or with a log
     Batter his skull, or paunch him with a stake,
     Or cut his wezand with thy knife

Translations

to remove organs of a ruminant

Bulgarian: изтърбушвам (bg) (iztǎrbušvam) Finnish: suolistaa (fi) Romanian: eviscera (ro) Russian: потроши́ть (ru) (potrošítʹ)

Middle English

Noun

paunch

1. alternative form of paunche