ppl. a. Forms: 5 balyd, 6 belied, 6–7 bellyed, 7 belly’d, belli’d, 6– bellied. [f. BELLY v. or sb. + -ED.]
1. Having a belly. Often in comb., e.g., big- or great-bellied, having a big belly, corpulent; hence, pregnant. See also GOR-, POT-, SHADBELLIED.
c. 1475[?]. Hunt. Hare, 187. Sym, that was balyd lyke a cow.
c. 1520. Andrewe, Noble Lyfe, in Babees Bk. (1868), 237. Scilla … is belied like a beste, & tayled lyke a dolphin.
1567. Triall Treas. (1850), 14. The great bellied loute.
1650. T. Gregory, Learned Traits, 98. When the great belli’d woman’s time is com.
1697. Dryden, Virg. Georg., III. 126. The Colt … Sharp headed, Barrel belly’d, broadly back’d.
1803. Bristed, Pedest. Tour, II. 687. The big-bellied hostess.
b. Big-bellied, corpulent; fig. inflated.
1532. Frith, Mirror (1829), 272. Bellied monks, canons, and priests.
a. 1564. Becon, Fl. Godly Pr., in Prayers, etc. (1844), 39. The dreams of the bellied hypocrites.
a. 1813. A. Wilson, Insult. Pedlar, Poet. Wks. (1846), 199. A bellied gent. steps owre the run.
2. transf. Made large and full, rounded; bulging; blown or puffed out.
a. 1593. H. Smith, Serm. (1622), 207. It becomes them well … to wear bellied doublets.
1649. Blithe, Eng. Improv. Impr. (1653), 70. The neather part of the bit a little bellied or square.
1678. Lond. Gaz., No. 7332/4. A bellied porringer.
1747. Franklin, Wks. (1840), 192. A vinegar-cruet, or some such bellied bottle.
1878. B. Taylor, Deukalion, III. vi. 130. I see a glorious barque With bellied canvass.
