Dictionaries › English

bellows

Pronunciation: /ˈbɛl.oʊz/

The English word “bellows” has 8 meanings listed here.

noun

  1. A device for delivering pressurized air in a controlled quantity to a controlled location. At its most simple terms a bellows is a container which is deformable in such a way as to alter its volume which has an outlet or outlets where one wishes to blow air.
  2. Any flexible container or enclosure, as one used to cover a moving joint.
  3. The lungs.
  4. Flexible, light-tight enclosures connecting the lensboard and the camera back.
  5. That which fans the fire of hatred, jealousy, etc.

verb

  1. To operate a bellows; to direct air at (something) using a bellows.
  2. To expand and contract like a bellows.
  3. To fold up like a bellows; to accordion.

Etymology

From Middle English belwes, plural of belu, belwe, a northern form of beli, from Old English bæliġ, northern form of bielġ, from Proto-Germanic *balgiz. Compare German Balg. See also belly. For the pronunciation /ˈbɛl.əs/, compare bodice, gallows.

Keep exploring: in the interactive dictionary every word of a definition is a link. Open “bellows” there

More English words

About this dictionary

The English dictionary on Glottosphere has 650,529 entries with a page. Browse the English dictionary.

Definitions are from Wiktionary, extracted by Kaikki.org, and are available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.