bell jar

American  

noun

1. a bell-shaped glass jar or cover for protecting delicate instruments, bric-a-brac, or the like, or for containing gases or a vacuum in chemical experiments.

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bell jar British  

noun

1. a bell-shaped glass cover used to protect flower arrangements or fragile ornaments or to cover apparatus in experiments, esp to prevent gases escaping

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Etymology

Origin of bell jar

First recorded in 1875–80

Example Sentences

I’ve had several unpleasant dreams where I’m encased in one of Gran’s glass paperweights or trapped beneath the bell jar that houses her arrangement of dried flowers and dead butterflies.

From Literature

When I'm in the bell jar, as I majorly have been for the last two months, the more I sit around and just wallow in sadness, the worse I feel.

From Salon

He tapped the bell again, and the train of ivy returned, now holding a clear bell jar and in it, the red Quassia plant.

From Literature

A single branch of cotton housed in a bell jar atop a plinth, it’s also high-level trolling at its finest.

From New York Times

Again: What works within the humid environment under a bell jar or inside a narrow-mouthed lab flask is quite different from what flourishes in an open bowl or an uncovered fish tank.

From Seattle Times