ENGLISH
REFERENCE

belt

n. countable
A2 Elementary Oxford US //ˈbɛɫt// UK //bˈɛlt// belt General-service Informal

n. a long, thin piece of leather or cloth that you wear around your waist to hold up your clothes. It can also mean a long area or strip of land that has a specific feature.

n. a flexible band or strap, typically made of leather or heavy cloth, worn around the waist to support clothing or carry tools. By extension, it refers to a continuous geographical region or strip of land characterised by a particular feature or climate.


SIMPLE

He tightened his belt before leaving the house.

CONTEXTUAL

The farmer lives in the corn belt, where the soil and weather are perfect for growing crops.

COMPLEX

While the asteroid belt occupies the vast region between Mars and Jupiter, the individual objects are so widely spaced that a spacecraft can usually pass through without incident.

Synonyms
Antonyms
Origin

From Middle English belt, from Old English belt (“belt, girdle”), from Proto-West Germanic baltī̆, from Proto-Germanic baltijaz (“girdle, belt”), from Latin balteus (“belt, sword-belt”), of Etruscan origin. Cognate with Scots belt (“belt”), Dutch belt, German Balz (“belt”), Danish bælte (“belt”), Swedish bälte (“belt, cincture, girdle, zone”) and Icelandic belti (“belt”).

Usage

Commonly used in the idiom 'to tighten one's belt', meaning to spend less money.

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