Meanings
plural bluebellies
- Sceloporus occidentalis, a North American lizard.
Synonyms: western fence lizard
- historicalA Yankee; a Union soldier during the American civil war.
The 'bluebelly' instantly disclosed that the troops were Confederate.
1989, Paul R. Stevenson, Cross a Wide River, →ISBN1 more example
He almost dropped his end of the plank that had a wounded Federal on it. The bluebelly groaned. The Confederate trooper at the other end of the plank said, “Watch what you're doing, dammit! What the hell's wrong with you, anyways?"
2007, Harry Turtledove, Fort Pillow: A Novel of the Civil War, St. Martin's Press, →ISBNSynonyms: bluecoat · Antonyms: graycoat, greycoat, grayback, greyback
Synonyms & antonyms
nounSceloporus occidentalis, a North American lizard.
nounA Yankee; a Union soldier during the American civil war.
Origin
From blue + belly. The ventral abdomen of the adult lizard is characteristically blue. The soldiers wore blue gaberdines.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
bluebelly. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bluebelly
“bluebelly.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bluebelly. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “bluebelly,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bluebelly.
Source: bluebelly on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.