Stomached

Stomached is the past tense and past participle of the verb stomach. In standard usage, to stomach something means to bear, tolerate, or accept an unpleasant or unwelcome matter, idea, or experience. The form stomached appears in sentences such as “She could not stomach the idea of moving abroad” or “The committee eventually stomached the proposal” (the latter is more formal or archaic). The sense is figurative, extending the literal stomach to mental or emotional tolerance.

Usage notes: The phrase “to stomach” is common in both American and British English, though the past tense “stomached” is somewhat formal or literary and may sound archaic in everyday speech. It is typically followed by an object or clause beginning with “the thought,” “the proposal,” or “the news.”

Etymology: The term derives from the bodily stomach, from Latin stomachus, via Old French estomac, with roots in Greek gastēr. The metaphorical verb “stomach” dates from the late Middle English period and has produced derivatives including “stomached” and “stomach” used as a noun or verb.

See also: stomach; to stomach; stomachache; digestion.