A pinching or squeezing sensation in the belly; hunger pains or stomach discomfort.
From 'belly' and 'pinch' (Old English 'pincian'), combining the body area with the action of squeezing or pressing. Likely folk or informal terminology.
Before modern medicine, people described hunger as a 'bellypinch'—treating hunger like a tiny person pinching your insides, which is actually pretty accurate to how hunger hormones work!
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