midriff

noun

mid·​riff ˈmi-ˌdrif 

plural midriffs

1

: the mid-region of the human torso : midsection

2

a

: a section of a garment that covers the midriff

b

: a garment that exposes the midriff

3

: diaphragm sense 1

Did you know?

Today, the word midriff is likely to evoke a plummy tummy or some fab abs, but the “mid-torso” sense of midriff is relatively young, having bellied up to the bar of English usage only in the early 19th century. For most of its history, midriff has been used to refer to the diaphragm, the large flat muscle that separates the lungs from the stomach area (and contracts spasmodically when we hiccup). This diaphragm sense has been around for at least 1,000 years, with the earliest known uses of midriff—which comes from the Old English word hrif, meaning “womb” or “belly”—being found in manuscripts such as Bald’s Leechbook, a medical text that is believed to date back to the mid 10th century. To riff on the vernacular of the 21st century, that kind of lexical staying power is far from mid.

Synonyms

• middle
• midsection
• waist
• waistline

Examples of midriff in a Sentence

She wore a skimpy outfit that showed her bare midriff.

midriff-baring tops are popular this summer

Recent Examples on the Web

For the occasion, Gale wore a white dress featuring cutouts at her midriff and a silver beaded bodice. —Erin Clack, Peoplemag, 3 Sep. 2024

Her black lace dress, originally from the ready-to-wear collection, featured a plunging neckline reaching down to her midriff, held together by a single strap across the chest. —Ty Gaskins, WWD, 30 Oct. 2024

Earle wore a purple bandage dress by Herve Leger with subtle cutouts across her midriff to show little peeks of skin. —Skyler Caruso, People.com, 28 Oct. 2024

Jolie opted for a three-piece suit from Dolce & Gabbana, wearing a black blazer over a partially unbuttoned waistcoat, which showed off the swallow tattoo on her breastbone, as well as a sliver of midriff. —Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 18 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English mydref, mydrif "diaphragm, omentum," going back to Old English midhrif, from mid- mid entry 1 + hrif "belly, womb," going back to Germanic *hrifiz- (whence also Old Frisian midrif "diaphragm," Old Saxon inhrif "innards," Old High German href, ref "womb"), going back to *krep-es-, *krep-os-, full-grade derivative of Indo-European *kr̥p- "body, form," whence also Latin corpor-, corpus "body" (from *kr̥p-os-), Middle Irish crí, Sanskrit kr̥p- "shape, appearance," Avestan kəhrp

Note: The base may be *ḱr̥p- with a palatovelar if it is assumed that Indo-Iranian palatovelars lost their palatal quality before r. Earlier reconstructed with initial *k^w- on the basis of Greek prapídes "midriff," but it has been claimed that Greek regularly dissimilated *k^w-p- to *k-p-; also a labiovelar would probably not result in a front vowel in Irish crí.

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

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Kids Definition

midriff

noun

mid·​riff ˈmid-ˌrif 

: the middle region of the human body

Medical Definition

midriff

noun

mid·​riff ˈmid-ˌrif 

1

: diaphragm sense 1

2

: the mid-region of the human torso