diving bell

American  

noun

1. a chamber with an open bottom in which persons can go underwater without special apparatus, water being excluded from the upper part by compressed air fed in by a hose.

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diving bell British  

noun

1. an early diving submersible having an open bottom and being supplied with compressed air

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Etymology

Origin of diving bell

First recorded in 1655–65

Example Sentences

The process resembles natural strategies seen in diving bell spiders, which carry air bubbles underwater, and in fire ants, which form floating rafts using their water-resistant bodies.

From Science Daily

Once the pair were on a framework under the diving bell, Mr Allcock said he was able to pull Mr Lemons inside using a set of pully systems ropes.

From BBC

DARHT’s experiments take place within a steel vessel shaped like a diving bell.

From Science Magazine

After he reached the continental shelf off the California coast, Mr. Keller slipped through a hatch in the diving bell to plant Swiss and U.S. flags.

From Washington Post

Some species are powdered with tiny structures that create a kind of diving bell, so they can bubble themselves with air and keep breathing in a flood.

From Scientific American