bell

a hollow instrument that is rung by the strokes of a clapper, hammer, etc.: She rang a bell to summon her servants.
Not to be confused with:belle – the most popular woman among many: She was the belle of the ball.

bell¹

B0023700 (bĕl)n.1. A hollow metal musical instrument, usually cup-shaped with a flared opening, that emits a metallic tone when struck.2. Something resembling such an instrument in shape or sound, as:a. The round, flared opening of a wind instrument at the opposite end from the mouthpiece.b. bells A percussion instrument consisting of metal tubes or bars that emit tones when struck.c. A hollow, usually inverted vessel, such as one used for diving deep below the surface of a body of water.d. The corolla of a flower: "In a cowslip's bell I lie" (Shakespeare).e. The body of a jellyfish.3. Nautical a. A stroke on a hollow metal instrument to mark the hour.b. The time indicated by the striking of this instrument, divided into half hours.v. belled, bell·ing, bells v.tr.1. To put a bell on.2. To cause to flare like a bell.v.intr. To assume the form of a bell; flare.Idiom: bell the cat To perform a daring act.

[Middle English belle, from Old English.]

bell²

B0023700 (bĕl)n. The bellowing or baying cry of certain animals, such as a deer in rut or a beagle on the hunt.intr.v. belled, bell·ing, bells To utter long, deep, resonant sounds; bellow.

[From Middle English bellen, to bellow, from Old English bellan.]

bell

(bɛl) n1. (Instruments) a hollow, usually metal, cup-shaped instrument that emits a musical ringing sound when struck, often by a clapper hanging inside it2. (Horology) the sound made by such an instrument or device, as for showing the hours or marking the beginning or end of a period of time3. (Electrical Engineering) an electrical device that rings or buzzes as a signal4. (Instruments) the bowl-shaped termination of the tube of certain musical wind instruments, such as the trumpet or oboe5. (Instruments) any musical percussion instrument emitting a ringing tone, such as a glockenspiel, one of a set of hand bells, etc. Compare chime¹³6. (Nautical Terms) nautical a signal rung on a ship's bell to count the number of half-hour intervals during each of six four-hour watches reckoned from midnight. Thus, one bell may signify 12.30, 4.30, or 8.30 a.m. or p.m7. (Nautical Terms) See diving bell8. (Biology) biology a structure resembling a bell in shape, such as the corolla of certain flowers or the body of a jellyfish9. (Telecommunications) slang Brit a telephone call (esp in the phrase give someone a bell)10. beat seven bells out of knock seven bells out of informal Brit to give a severe beating to11. (Ecclesiastical Terms) bell, book, and candle a. instruments used formerly in excommunications and other ecclesiastical actsb. informal the solemn ritual ratification of such acts12. ring a bell to sound familiar; recall to the mind something previously experienced, esp indistinctly13. sound as a bell in perfect condition14. the bells the ringing of bells, in a church or other public building, at midnight on December 31st, symbolizing the beginning of a new yearvb15. to be or cause to be shaped like a bell16. (tr) to attach a bell or bells to17. bell the cat to undertake a dangerous mission[Old English belle; related to Old Norse bjalla, Middle Low German bell; see bell²]

bell

(bɛl) n (Zoology) a bellowing or baying cry, esp that of a hound or a male deer in rutvb (Zoology) to utter (such a cry)[Old English bellan; related to Old Norse belja to bellow, Old High German bellan to roar, Sanskrit bhāsate he talks; see bellow]

Bell

(bɛl) n1. (Biography) Acton, Currer (ˈkʌrə), and Ellis. pen names of the sisters Anne, Charlotte, and Emily Brontë. See Brontë2. (Biography) Alexander Graham. 1847–1922, US scientist, born in Scotland, who invented the telephone (1876)3. (Biography) Sir Francis Henry Dillon. 1851–1936, New Zealand statesman; prime minister of New Zealand (1925)4. (Biography) Gertrude (Margaret Lowthian). 1868–1926, British traveller, writer, and diplomat; secretary to the British High Commissioner in Baghdad (1917–26)5. (Biography) Joshua. born 1967, US violinist6. (Biography) Dame (Susan) Jocelyn, married name Jocelyn Burnell, born 1943, British radio astronomer, who discovered the first pulsar7. (Biography) Vanessa, original name Vanessa Stephen. 1879–1961, British painter; a member of the Bloomsbury group, sister of Virginia Woolf and wife of the art critic Clive Bell (1881–1964)

bell¹

(bɛl)
n. 1. a hollow metal instrument, typically cup-shaped with a flaring mouth, that produces a ringing sound when struck. 2. any device, as an electronic circuit, that produces a similar sound. 3. the stroke or sound of a bell. 4. something having the form of a bell, as the flared end of a musical wind instrument. 5. any of the half-hour units of nautical time rung on the bell of a ship. 6. umbrella (def. 2). v.t. 7. to cause to flare like a bell. 8. to put a bell on. v.i. 9. to take or have the form of a bell. Idioms: 1. bell the cat, to attempt something dangerous or daring. 2. with bells on, eagerly; ready to enjoy oneself. [before 1000; Middle English, Old English belle, c. Middle Dutch, Middle Low German belle]

bell²

(bɛl)
v.i. 1. to bellow; bay. n. 2. a bellowing or baying sound, esp. of a stag in rut or a hunting dog. [1275–1325; Middle English; Old English bellan to roar, c. Middle Dutch bel(l)en, Old High German bellan, Old Norse belja]

Bell

(bɛl)

n. Alexander Graham, 1847–1922, U.S. scientist, born in Scotland: inventor of the telephone.

bell

- The flared open end of a wind instrument.See also related terms for wind instrument.

bell

Past participle: belled
Gerund: belling

Imperative
bell
bell

Present
I bell
you bell
he/she/it bells
we bell
you bell
they bell

Preterite
I belled
you belled
he/she/it belled
we belled
you belled
they belled

Present Continuous
I am belling
you are belling
he/she/it is belling
we are belling
you are belling
they are belling

Present Perfect
I have belled
you have belled
he/she/it has belled
we have belled
you have belled
they have belled

Past Continuous
I was belling
you were belling
he/she/it was belling
we were belling
you were belling
they were belling

Past Perfect
I had belled
you had belled
he/she/it had belled
we had belled
you had belled
they had belled

Future
I will bell
you will bell
he/she/it will bell
we will bell
you will bell
they will bell

Future Perfect
I will have belled
you will have belled
he/she/it will have belled
we will have belled
you will have belled
they will have belled

Future Continuous
I will be belling
you will be belling
he/she/it will be belling
we will be belling
you will be belling
they will be belling

Present Perfect Continuous
I have been belling
you have been belling
he/she/it has been belling
we have been belling
you have been belling
they have been belling

Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been belling
you will have been belling
he/she/it will have been belling
we will have been belling
you will have been belling
they will have been belling

Past Perfect Continuous
I had been belling
you had been belling
he/she/it had been belling
we had been belling
you had been belling
they had been belling

Conditional
I would bell
you would bell
he/she/it would bell
we would bell
you would bell
they would bell

Past Conditional
I would have belled
you would have belled
he/she/it would have belled
we would have belled
you would have belled
they would have belled

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	bell - a hollow device made of metal that makes a ringing sound when struckacoustic device - a device for amplifying or transmitting soundchurch bell - a bell in a church tower (usually sounded to summon people to church); "church bells were ringing all over town"clapper, tongue - metal striker that hangs inside a bell and makes a sound by hitting the sidecowbell - a bell hung around the neck of cow so that the cow can be easily locateddeath bell, death knell - a bell rung to announce a deathdinner bell - a bell rung to announce that dinner has been servedelectric bell - a bell activated by the magnetic effect of an electric currentfire bell - a bell rung to give a fire alarmschool bell - a bell rung to announce beginning or ending of classsheep bell - a bell hung round the neck of a sheep so that the sheep can be easily locatedshop bell - a bell attached to the door of a small shop; warns the proprietor that a customer has entered the shopsignaling device - a device used to send signalscascabel, sleigh bell - a bell attached to a sleigh, or to the harness of a horse that is pulling a sleighsound bow - contact (the part of a bell) against which the clapper strikeswarning bell, tocsin - a bell used to sound an alarm
	2.	bell - a push button at an outer door that gives a ringing or buzzing signal when pushedbuzzer, doorbellnight bell - a doorbell to be used at nightpush button, button, push - an electrical switch operated by pressing; "the elevator was operated by push buttons"; "the push beside the bed operated a buzzer at the desk"
	3.	bell - the sound of a bell being struck; "saved by the bell"; "she heard the distant toll of church bells"tollsound - the sudden occurrence of an audible event; "the sound awakened them"knell - the sound of a bell rung slowly to announce a death or a funeral or the end of somethingangelus, angelus bell - the sound of a bell rung in Roman Catholic churches to announce the time when the Angelus should be recited
	4.	bell - (nautical) each of the eight half-hour units of nautical time signaled by strokes of a ship's bell; eight bells signals 4:00, 8:00, or 12:00 o'clock, either a.m. or p.m.ship's bellsailing, seafaring, navigation - the work of a sailortime unit, unit of time - a unit for measuring time periods
	5.	bell - the shape of a bell bell shape, campanacurve, curved shape - the trace of a point whose direction of motion changes
	6.	Bell - a phonetician and father of Alexander Graham Bell (1819-1905)Alexander Melville Bell, Melville Bell
	7.	Bell - English painter; sister of Virginia Woolf; prominent member of the Bloomsbury Group (1879-1961)Vanessa Bell, Vanessa StephenBloomsbury Group - an inner circle of writers and artists and philosophers who lived in or around Bloomsbury early in the 20th century and were noted for their unconventional lifestyles
	8.	Bell - United States inventor (born in Scotland) of the telephone (1847-1922)Alexander Bell, Alexander Graham Bell
	9.	bell - a percussion instrument consisting of a set of tuned bells that are struck with a hammer; used as an orchestral instrumentchime, gongcarillon - set of bells hung in a bell towerhandbell - a bell that is held in the handpercussion instrument, percussive instrument - a musical instrument in which the sound is produced by one object striking another
	10.	bell - the flared opening of a tubular deviceblunderbuss - a short musket of wide bore with a flared muzzlefunnel - a conically shaped utensil having a narrow tube at the small end; used to channel the flow of substances into a container with a small mouthopening - a vacant or unobstructed space that is man-made; "they left a small opening for the cat at the bottom of the door"wind instrument, wind - a musical instrument in which the sound is produced by an enclosed column of air that is moved by the breath
Verb	1.	bell - attach a bell to; "bell cows" attach - cause to be attached

Translations

铃钟

bell

(bel) noun1. a hollow object, usually of metal, which gives a ringing sound when struck by the clapper inside. church bells.钟2. any other mechanism for giving a ringing sound. Our doorbell is broken.铃

bell

→ 铃zhCN

bell

Bell,

city (1990 pop. 34,365), Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1927. It is chiefly residential, with printing, metal fabrication, and the manufacture of industrial machinery and lighting fixtures.

bell,

in music, a percussion instrument consisting of a hollow metal vessel, often cup-shaped with an outward-flaring rim, damped at one end and set into vibration by a blow from a clapper within or from a hammer without.

A portable set of bells, usually not more than 15 in number, tuned to the intervals of the major scale, is known as a chime and were first used by the ancient Chinese. A carillon is a larger stationary set with chromatic intervals and as many as 70 bells, which are played from a keyboard. Harmonies and effects of shading, not possible on a chime, are part of the art of carillon playing—an art for which there is a school in Belgium. The bells of a carillon must be tuned with more accuracy than those of a chime; the best modern craftsmen can tune the fundamental (known as the hum note), the octave (known as the strike note), the twelfth, and the fifteenth with perfect accuracy.

An interesting and unexplained illusion manifest in bells is their apparent pitch (strike note): the pitch the observer hears can often be scientifically proved to be different from any of the pitches produced by the bell. Bells have been known in all metal-using cultures and civilizations and have been used in connection with all major religions except Islam. Many legends and traditions are associated with bells, which have been used for signaling, in dancing, and as protective charms. Apparently originating in Asia, in early times bells were employed for religious purposes and were used in Christianity by the 6th cent. Early bells were blessed with holy water, in the belief that dedication to Christian service gave power to ward off lightning.

Sets of bells tuned to a musical scale and called cymbala were used in the Middle Ages for musical instruction and to accompany chant in churches. In the 13th cent., tower bells were attached to clocklike mechanisms to strike the hours. The carillon developed out of the Belgian voorslag of the 15th cent., a set of bells attached to a large tower clock that played a tune before striking the hour. In the Low Countries, where the making and playing of carillons centered, the principal cities vied over the size and complexity of their instruments. A peak in European carillon making was reached in the work of the brothers Frans (1609–67) and Pieter (1619–80) Hemony of Amsterdam. The carillonneur's art flourished until the 18th cent., declining during the French Revolution, when many carillons were melted to make armaments.

Toward the end of the 19th cent., English bellmakers rediscovered the secrets of tuning that had been used by the 17th-century Dutch and Flemish craftsmen. This, with improvements in methods of striking, in placement of the bells, and in action of the keyboard, has made 20th-century carillons the finest in existence. Active in a renaissance of carillon music was Jef Denijn (1862–1941), carillonneur of Mechlin. Since World War I many carillons have been installed in the United States; outstanding is that of the Riverside Church, New York (1930), whose 20.5-ton bourdon bell is the largest ever cast in England. The largest bell in the world was the Great Bell of Moscow; cast in 1733–35, it was broken in a fire in 1737.

Bibliography

See P. D. Peery, Chimes and Electric Carillons (1948); W. G. Wilson, Change Ringing (1965); S. N. Coleman, Bells (1928, repr. 1971); H. R. Jones, About Bells and Bell Ringing (1986); R. Johnston et al., An Atlas of Bells (1990).

Bell

The body of a Corinthian capital or a Composite capital without the foliage.

Bell

(religion, spiritualism, and occult)

For thousands of years bells have been instruments of ritual and magic. The ringing of bells was thought to drive away evil spirits, hence the wearing of bells around the necks of cattle and other domestic animals to keep them free of disease and clear of malicious spirits. In medieval Europe, bells were rung during plagues in the belief that the sound would drive away the pestilence and any evil emanations. Doctors would even prescribe the ringing of bells when a patient was sick. The ringing of a bell is part of the exorcism ritual and the rite of excommunication (see Bell, Book and Candle). In Italy, bells are placed around the necks of cattle and horses to protect them from the evil eye; in China, they are rung to bring rain; in Haiti, a small silver bell hangs from the handle of the asson, the Voodoo priest's ritual tool. In Wicca, a bell is frequently rung at the beginning and end of rituals and within certain rites.

The outer shell of the bell is equated with the female element and the inner clapper with the male. Together, then, there is union. The vibrations created by the ringing of the bell are thought to raise spiritual power and increase magical energy. Bells are rung for fertility, for celebration, and for magical workings.

A common belief in the Middle Ages was that the sound of church bells ringing was abhorrent to witches and would cause them to fall from their broomsticks while they rode across the sky to the sabbat. Some old church bells are inscribed with the words fulgura frango, dissipo ventos meaning "lightning and thunder, I break asunder." It was thought that the ringing of church bells would overpower the evil spirits who caused storms and thereby temper the weather. Many church bells were dedicated to specific saints and were blessed in great ceremony.

The practice of hanging bells from clothing is found worldwide and was originally done for protection from evil spirits. Bells have been hung from the clothing of the sick and those afraid of being possessed or cursed. Medicine is sometimes drunk from a bell, in the belief that the sacred "cup" will give added potency to the potion.

In necromantic rituals, bells are used to help raise the dead and return their spirits to this earthly realm so that they might be interrogated. The practice of hanging a small bell on the door of a shop was not originally to tell the shopkeeper if anyone had entered, but instead to ensure that no evil spirits came inside.

The oldest bell in the world was found near Babylon and is believed to be over three thousand years old. The Roman emperor Gaius Octavianus (63 BCE-14 CE), who later became the first Emperor Augustus, hung a large bell from the Temple of Jupiter. In Athens the priests of Cybele used handbells in their rites, while in Sparta women walked the streets ringing small bells when a king died. Small bells made of copper and dating to the pre-Inca era have been found in ancient Peruvian tombs.

The sixth century saw the first use of church bells, although they were not introduced into western churches until the eighth century. They were termed seings or signa, and were not rung but simply struck with a wooden or metal hammer. (From this practice came the word toc-seing or tocsin applied to the peals of the Middle Ages.)

Witches believe that there is power in the vibrations caused by the ringing of a bell (or the sounding of a "singing bowl" or shaking of a sistrum, or ritual rattle). Together with the smoke of incense, the ringing of bells attunes a magic circle and brings great harmony.

Bell

a signaling instrument, in the shape of a hollow pear that has been cut off at the bottom; a clapper is suspended inside. Bells are made of bronze alloys. A sound of a certain pitch is produced by swinging either the bell itself or the clapper. Since ancient times the bell has been used to summon the population (the assembly bell), to sound an alert, or to assemble the troops (the tocsin). Since the middle of the ninth century, the ringing of bells has been an integral element of church rites in Russia. Special bell towers and belfries were built. In Europe comparatively large bells were first cast sometime between the fourth and sixth centuries. The largest bells ever cast were manufactured in Russia—for example, the Tsar’s Bell in the Moscow Kremlin.

REFERENCE

Olovianishnikov, N. I. Istoriia kolokolov i kolokololiteinoe delo, 2nd ed. Moscow, 1912.
Pukhnachev, Iu. “Glagol vremen, metalla zvon. . . .” Nauka i zhizn’, 1972, no. 8.

What does it mean when you dream about a bell?

Something calling for attention. Perhaps a warning bell or an alarm. Bells are also sounded at beginnings and endings. In Western culture, bells are associated with weddings (wedding bells) and freedom (the liberty bell). Also, bellwethers influence or presage the future.

bell

[bel] (engineering) A hollow metallic cylinder closed at one end and flared at the other; it is used as a fixed-pitch musical instrument or signaling device and is set vibrating by a clapper or tongue which strikes the lip. bell tap (metallurgy) A conical device that seals the top of a blast furnace.

bell

bell, 1

bell, 1 1. The body of a Corinthian capital or a Composite capital, with the foliage removed; also called a vase or basket. 2. The portion of a pipe which is enlarged to receive the end of another pipe of the same diameter for the purpose of making a joint; also called a hub.

bell

passing bell; rung to indicate demise. [Christian Tradition: Jobes, 198]See: Death

bell

¹1. a hollow, usually metal, cup-shaped instrument that emits a musical ringing sound when struck, often by a clapper hanging inside it 2. an electrical device that rings or buzzes as a signal 3. the bowl-shaped termination of the tube of certain musical wind instruments, such as the trumpet or oboe 4. any musical percussion instrument emitting a ringing tone, such as a glockenspiel, one of a set of hand bells, etc 5. Nautical a signal rung on a ship's bell to count the number of half-hour intervals during each of six four-hour watches reckoned from midnight. Thus, one bell may signify 12.30, 4.30, or 8.30 am or pm 6. See diving bell7. Biology a structure resembling a bell in shape, such as the corolla of certain flowers or the body of a jellyfish 8. bell, book, and candle instruments used formerly in excommunications and other ecclesiastical acts

bell

² a bellowing or baying cry, esp that of a hound or a male deer in rut

Bell

1. Acton, Currer , and Ellis. pen names of the sisters Anne, Charlotte, and Emily Brontë 2. Alexander Graham. 1847--1922, US scientist, born in Scotland, who invented the telephone (1876) 3. Sir Francis Henry Dillon. 1851--1936, New Zealand statesman; prime minister of New Zealand (1925) 4. Gertrude (Margaret Lowthian). 1868--1926, British traveller, writer, and diplomat; secretary to the British High Commissioner in Baghdad (1917--26) 5. Joshua. born 1967, US violinist 6. (Susan) Jocelyn, married name Jocelyn Burnell, born 1943, British radio astronomer, who discovered the first pulsar 7. Vanessa, original name Vanessa Stephen. 1879--1961, British painter; a member of the Bloomsbury group, sister of Virginia Woolf and wife of the art critic Clive Bell (1881--1964)

BELL

(1)An early system on the IBM 650 and Datatron 200 series.

Versions: BELL L2, BELL L3.

[Listed in CACM 2(5):16 (May 1959)].

Bell

(company)Bell Telephone or Bell Laboratories.

bell

(character)ASCII 7, ASCII mnemonic "BEL", the character code which prodces a standard audibile warning from thecomputer or terminal. In the teletype days it really was abell, since the advent of the VDU it is more likely to be asound sample (e.g. the sound of a bell) played through aloudspeaker.

Also called "G-bell", because it is typed as Control-G.

The term "beep" is preferred among some microcomputerhobbyists.

Compare feep, visible bell.

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Bibliography

Bell

Bell

Bell

REFERENCE

What does it mean when you dream about a bell?

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Patient discussion about Bell

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Synonyms for bell

noun a hollow device made of metal that makes a ringing sound when struck

Related Words

noun a push button at an outer door that gives a ringing or buzzing signal when pushed

Synonyms

Related Words

noun the sound of a bell being struck

Synonyms

Related Words

noun (nautical) each of the eight half-hour units of nautical time signaled by strokes of a ship's bell

Synonyms

Related Words

noun the shape of a bell

Synonyms

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noun a phonetician and father of Alexander Graham Bell (1819-1905)

Synonyms

noun English painter

Synonyms

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noun United States inventor (born in Scotland) of the telephone (1847-1922)

Synonyms

noun a percussion instrument consisting of a set of tuned bells that are struck with a hammer

Synonyms

Related Words

noun the flared opening of a tubular device

Related Words

verb attach a bell to

Related Words

bell¹

bell²

bell¹

bell²