Tummies

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The plural form of tummy, referring to multiple stomachs or bellies
2. Used to indicate more than one tummy, meaning several bellies
3. Refers collectively to the stomach areas of multiple individuals

Etymology: "Tummies" is simply the plural of "tummy," so it takes its history from that word. "Tummy" is a child-speech word: it imitates the way a small child might try to pronounce "stomach," and it descends from the archaic colloquial "stummy," a form of the same idea. The same kind of simplification shows up in other words built from children's or casual pronunciation. Speakers reduce a longer or awkward sound to something easier to say, and the result can settle into everyday usage. In "tummy," that reduction turned a body part into a cozy, affectionate nursery term.

Synonyms: bellies, abdomens, stomachs