Belch
/bɛltʃ/noun
To expel gas noisily from the stomach through the mouth.
Did you know?The word is ultimately linked to an old Germanic root meaning “to swell” or “puff up,” which also lives on in English words like **bulk**, **billow**, and **bellows**.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*bhel-
“to swell, blow, or inflate”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*belkaną
“to belch, bubble up, or burst forth”
Old English
OE
bealcian
“to belch or emit a noisy burst of breath”
Middle English
ME
belchen
“to belch noisily”
Modern English
English
belch
“to expel gas noisily from the stomach through the mouth”