potbelly

American  

[pot-bel-ee] / ˈpɒtˌbɛl i /

noun

plural

potbellies

1. a distended or protuberant belly.

2. potbelly stove.

3. potbelly wood.

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potbelly British  

/ ˈpɒtˌbɛlɪ /

noun

1. a protruding or distended belly

2. a person having such a belly

3. a small bulbous stove in which wood or coal is burned

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Other Word Forms

• potbellied adjective

Etymology

Origin of potbelly

First recorded in 1705–15; pot ¹ + belly

Example Sentences

Talia Greis, from Australia, won Macro, with an abstract portrait of a potbelly seahorse in the murky waters near Bare Island, Sydney.

From BBC • Feb. 19, 2024

While the Kumasaka family was incarcerated in Minidoka, a fire caused by an overheated potbelly stove burned down the Green Lake Community Center and vandals extensively damaged the farm’s greenhouses.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 7, 2023

The loft, which rented for $40 a month, had no electricity — power was wired in from a light fixture in the hall — and was heated with a potbelly stove.

From New York Times • Mar. 28, 2023

The confrontation with Rod Steiger as a potbelly, gum-chewing tough sheriff is cruel and funny.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 25, 2023

She was a dermatologist, midfifties, trim except for a potbelly.

From "Genuine Fraud" by E. Lockhart