breadbasket

[ bred-bas-kit, -bah-skit ]

noun

1. a basket or similar container for bread or rolls.
2. an agricultural area that provides large amounts of food, especially grain, to other areas.
3. Slang. a person's stomach or abdomen.

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of a geographical breadbasket:

   Iowa is a breadbasket state.

breadbasket

/ ˈbrɛdˌbɑːskɪt /

noun

1. a basket for carrying bread or rolls
2. a slang word for stomach

Word History and Origins

Origin of breadbasket¹

First recorded in 1545–55; bread + basket

Example Sentences

The village is in a farming region that was once the breadbasket of Sudan, but is now a vast battleground.

From New York Times

Fields have become battlegrounds in the country’s breadbasket.

From New York Times

They traveled west to the Middle East about 1,200 years ago, perhaps hitchhiking in soldiers’ breadbaskets.

From Seattle Times

As a result, most of America’s initial aid took the form of food — at first we were less the arsenal of democracy than its breadbasket.

From Seattle Times

In December, it captured Wad Madani, the capital of the breadbasket El Gezira state, where tens of thousands of people fled when the war started.

From New York Times

Related Words

• abdomen
• gut
• insides
• pelvis
• tank
• tummy