I. ˈpȯnch, ˈpänch, ˈpȧnch noun
( -es )
Etymology: Middle English paunche, from Middle French pance, panche, from Latin pantic-, pantex; perhaps akin to Old Slavic pǫčiti (sę) to inflate
1.
a. : the belly and its contents
b. : potbelly
a comfortable paunch swelled out beneath the buttons of his dinner jacket — Hamilton Basso
2.
a. : rumen
b. chiefly dialect : tripe — usually used in plural
3.
a. : paunch mat
b. : a thin shield of wood on a mast that permits the lower yards to slide easily over the hoops
II. transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-es )
1. : to wound in the stomach
with a log batter his skull or paunch him with a stake — Shakespeare
2. obsolete : to stuff the stomach of with food and drink
3. : to open the paunch of : eviscerate
rabbits must not be paunched out of doors in hot weather — F.D.Smith & Barbara Wilcox