stomach

Where does the word "stomach" come from? It comes from Greek stomachos, passing through Old French before entering English (1300s).

Stomach’s story begins in Greek: stomachos meant “throat, gullet.” Greek, from 'stoma', mouth. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old French as estomac. Also meant temper or pride. It reached English by 1300s as stomach. 'can't stomach it' keeps the older sense of temper. Today, stomach means the internal organ where food is digested.

1. Stage 1 · Greek · ancient stomachos "throat, gullet", Greek, from 'stoma', mouth.
2. Stage 2 · Old French · medieval estomac "stomach", also meant temper or pride.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1300s stomach "the organ", 'can't stomach it' keeps the older sense of temper.