ventripotent

English

WOTD – 13 February 2012

Etymology

From Middle French ventripotent, from Latin venter (“belly”) + potens (“powerful”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /vɛnˈtɹɪpətənt/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

Adjective

ventripotent (comparative more ventripotent, superlative most ventripotent)

1. Having a big belly.
   • 1694, François Rabelais, translated by Thomas Urquhart, Pantagruel, Book LIX, (chapter title):

     Of the ridiculous statue Manduce; and how, and what the Gastrolaters sacrifice to their ventripotent [translating ventripotent] god.

   • 1982, Lawrence Durrell, Constance, Faber & Faber 2004 (Avignon Quintet), p. 714:

     The reception committee consisted of Constance and a ventripotent Swiss banker, representing the Red Cross [...].

2. Gluttonous.
   • 2008, A. C. Kemp, The Perfect Insult for Every Occasion, →ISBN, page 198:

     I'm sure your being so ventripotent is useful in county fair competitions, George, but it's driving our bakery into the ground, so we're replacing you.

Translations

Having a big belly

• Russian: пузатый (ru) (puzatyj)

Gluttonous

• Russian: прожо́рливый (ru) (prožórlivyj)

French

Portrait d’un homme ventripotent.

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Adjective

ventripotent (feminine ventripotente, masculine plural ventripotents, feminine plural ventripotentes)

1. having a big belly, ventripotent

Further reading

• “ventripotent”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French ventripotent.

Adjective

ventripotent m or n (feminine singular ventripotentă, masculine plural ventripotenți, feminine and neuter plural ventripotente)

1. potbellied

Declension

Declension of ventripotent

		singular			plural
		masculine	neuter	feminine	masculine	neuter	feminine
nominative/ accusative	indefinite	ventripotent		ventripotentă	ventripotenți	ventripotente
	definite	ventripotentul		ventripotenta	ventripotenții	ventripotentele
genitive/ dative	indefinite	ventripotent		ventripotente	ventripotenți	ventripotente
	definite	ventripotentului		ventripotentei	ventripotenților	ventripotentelor

References

• ventripotent in Academia Română, Micul dicționar academic, ediția a II-a, Bucharest: Univers Enciclopedic, 2010. →ISBN