Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

midriff

/ˈmɪdɹɪf/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.37 in modern English

Syllables: midriff
IPA: /ˈmɪdɹɪf/

16

Scrabble Score

7

Letters

1

Syllables

5

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The middle section of the human torso, from below the chest to above the waist; the abdomen and its back part.

Example Sentences

"Near-synonym: midsection"
"I stuck it out for about an hour and then, apprised by a hollow feeling in the midriff that the dinner hour was approaching, laid a course for home."
"But by Season 3, she said her patience had fizzled like bad Champagne after Emily grossly mispronounced “bien sûr” (“of course!”), flashed her midriff at the office and mistook George Sand, the French romantic writer, as a man."

Etymology

From Middle English midref, mydrif, from Old English midrif, midhrif (“the midriff; diaphragm”), from Proto-West Germanic *middjahrif. Equivalent to mid- + riff.

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Prefix: mid
Root: *krep-, midref, midrif, *middjahrif

Inflected Forms

midriffs (plural)

Derived Forms

midriffed

Frequently Paired Words

diaphragm

Synonyms

midsection diaphragm middle

Questions

How do you pronounce midriff?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈmɪdɹɪf/.
What does midriff mean?: The middle section of the human torso, from below the chest to above the waist; the abdomen and its back part.
Where does midriff come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce midriff

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “midriff”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈmɪdɹɪf/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “midriff”.
Repeat and practice — Say “midriff” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.