a hollow instrument of cast metal, typically cup-shaped with a flaring mouth, suspended from the vertex and rung by the strokes of a clapper, hammer, or the like.
the stroke or sound of such an instrument: We rose at the bell.
anything in the form of a bell.
the large end of a funnel, or the end of a pipe, tube, or any musical wind instrument, when its edge is turned out and enlarged.
Architecture. the underlying part of a foliated capital.
Nautical.
any of the half-hour units of nautical time rung on the bell of a ship.
each individual ring of the bell, counted with others to reckon the time: It is now four bells.
a signal on the telegraph of a large power vessel, made between the navigating officers and the engineer.
ring a bell, to evoke a memory, especially a vague or partial recollection; remind one of something: His name rings a bell but I can't remember him.
ring someone's bell,
to provide what is desired; be satisfactory or successful: This new book just doesn't ring my bell.
Slang.to arouse sexually or bring someone to orgasm.
Also ring the bell.
saved by the bell,
(of a boxer) saved from a knockout by the ringing of a gong signaling the end of a round.
(of any person) spared from anticipated trouble by some extraneous event.
with bells on, Informal. eagerly; ready to enjoy oneself: Just say when, and we'll be there with bells on.
Origin of bell
1
before 1000;Middle English,Old Englishbelle; cognate with Dutchbel; derivative of bell2
Related formsbell-less, adjective
bell
2
[bel]
verb (used with or without object)
to bellow like a stag in rutting time.
to bay, as a hunting dog.
noun
the cry of a rutting stag or hunting dog.
Origin of bell
2
1275–1325;Middle Englishbellen,Old Englishbellan to roar; cognate with Old High Germanbellan (Germanbellen to bark), Middle Dutchbellen, belen,Old Norsebelja; akin to Lithuanianbal̃sas voice, Sanskritbhaṣ- bark, bhāṣ- speak. See bellow, belch
a hollow, usually metal, cup-shaped instrument that emits a musical ringing sound when struck, often by a clapper hanging inside it
the sound made by such an instrument or device, as for showing the hours or marking the beginning or end of a period of time
an electrical device that rings or buzzes as a signal
the bowl-shaped termination of the tube of certain musical wind instruments, such as the trumpet or oboe
any musical percussion instrument emitting a ringing tone, such as a glockenspiel, one of a set of hand bells, etcCompare chime 1 (def. 3)
nauticala 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.m
biologya structure resembling a bell in shape, such as the corolla of certain flowers or the body of a jellyfish
Britishslanga telephone call (esp in the phrase give someone a bell)
beat seven bells out oforknock seven bells out ofBritishinformalto give a severe beating to
bell, book, and candle
instruments used formerly in excommunications and other ecclesiastical acts
informalthe solemn ritual ratification of such acts
ring a bellto sound familiar; recall to the mind something previously experienced, esp indistinctly
sound as a bellin perfect condition
the bellsthe ringing of bells, in a church or other public building, at midnight on December 31st, symbolizing the beginning of a new year
verb
to be or cause to be shaped like a bell
(tr)to attach a bell or bells to
bell the catto undertake a dangerous mission
Word Origin for bell
Old English belle; related to Old Norse bjalla, Middle Low German bell; see bell ²
bell
2
noun
a bellowing or baying cry, esp that of a hound or a male deer in rut
verb
to utter (such a cry)
Word Origin for bell
Old English bellan; related to Old Norse belja to bellow, Old High German bellan to roar, Sanskrit bhāsate he talks; see bellow
Bell
noun
Acton, Currer (ˈkʌrə), and Ellis . pen names of the sisters Anne, Charlotte, and Emily BrontëSee Brontë
Alexander Graham . 1847–1922, US scientist, born in Scotland, who invented the telephone (1876)
Sir Francis Henry Dillon . 1851–1936, New Zealand statesman; prime minister of New Zealand (1925)
Gertrude (Margaret Lowthian). 1868–1926, British traveller, writer, and diplomat; secretary to the British High Commissioner in Baghdad (1917–26)
Joshua. born 1967, US violinist
Dame (Susan) Jocelyn, married name Jocelyn Burnell, born 1943, British radio astronomer, who discovered the first pulsar
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)
"attach a bell," late 14c., from bell (n.). Related: Belled; belling. Allusions to the story of the mice that bell the cat (so they can hear him coming) date to 1520s.
bell
n.
Old English belle, common North Sea Germanic (cf. Middle Dutch belle, Middle Low German belle) but not found elsewhere in Germanic (except as a borrowing), from PIE root *bhel- (4) "to sound, roar." Statistical bell curve was coined 1870s in French. Of glasses in the shape of a bell from 1640s. Bell pepper is from 1707, so called for its shape. Bell, book, and candle is a reference to a form of excommunication. To ring a bell "awaken a memory" (1934) is perhaps a reference to Pavlovian experiments.
British anatomist and surgeon who published detailed anatomies of the nervous system and the brain. He was the first to distinguish between sensory and motor nerves. Bell's Law and Bell's palsy are named for him.
Scottish-born American scientist and inventor whose lifelong interest in the education of deaf people led him to conceive the idea of transmitting speech by electric waves. In 1876 his experiments with a telegraph resulted in his invention of the telephone. He later produced the first successful sound recorder, an early hearing aid, and many other devices.
