bellyache
Word family
Synonym discussion
Sense: noun/1
Bellyache is an informal word for pain in the stomach area, and it often sounds homey or slightly childlike. Stomachache is the neutral everyday choice and works naturally with children, adults, teachers, and co-workers. Tummy ache is even more child-centered and is mostly used by or to young children, or jokingly by adults. Abdominal pain is the formal medical expression, so it sounds more serious and clinical than the other three. A child might say 'I have a bellyache' at home, but a nurse in a clinic is more likely to ask whether you have stomach pain or abdominal pain.
Etymology
Bellyache was formed in English by joining belly, an old Germanic word for the stomach area, with ache, from an Old English verb meaning 'hurt'. The noun came first for physical pain, and the verb later developed from the image of someone acting as if they had a pain in the belly and complaining about it.
First known use
1547
1547, in the meaning defined above Verb