Borborygm

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˌbɔːbəˈɹɪɡm̩/

Definitions

1. A sound that resembles a rumble, occurring when gas moves through the intestines, indicates digestive processes at work
2. A rumbling noise in the abdomen produced by shifting gas within the intestines
3. The audible gurgling sound made by air and fluids moving through the digestive tract

Etymology: The rumbling in your stomach has a name that is almost pure sound. The Ancient Greek "borborugmós" was onomatopoeic, imitating the gurgle of gas moving through the gut, and it came from the verb "borborúzō", meaning "to experience borborygmus." In other words, the Greeks built a verb whose sole job was to describe the noise your belly makes. The word passed into English by way of French "borborygme," a borrowing that kept the Greek shape largely intact. Its spelling still shows the Greek ancestry, with the -ygm- cluster and the -us ending dropped in the English form. The "borbor" repetition is typical of onomatopoeia, where a sound is echoed by a doubled syllable.