swell box
noun
a chamber containing a set of pipes in a pipe organ or of reeds in a reed organ, and having movable slats or shutters that can be opened or closed to increase or diminish tonal volume.
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Origin of swell box
First recorded in 1795–1805
Words nearby swell box
sweetwater, sweetwort, sweir, swelinck, swell, swell box, swell front, swelled head, swelled head, have a, swelled-headed, swellfish
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
Example sentences from the Web for swell box
The organist might leave his Swell-box shut or, by means of a catch on the pedal, hitch it full open.
The Recent Revolution in Organ Building|George Laing MillerChoir organ, of soft, mellow stops, often enclosed in a swell-box.
How it Works|Archibald WilliamsEcho organ, of stops of small scale and very soft tone, enclosed in a "swell-box."
How it Works|Archibald WilliamsThe swell-box is made in three thicknesses, each of one inch.
Bell's Cathedrals: The Abbey Church of Tewkesbury|H. J. L. J. Mass