bell
/bɛl/
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: 4.59 in modern English
6
Scrabble Score
4
Letters
1
Syllables
3
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A percussive instrument made of metal or other hard material, typically but not always in the shape of an inverted cup with a flared rim, which resonates when struck.
noun
An instrument that emits a ringing sound, situated on a bicycle's handlebar and used by the cyclist to warn of their presence.
noun
The flared end of a brass or woodwind instrument.
Example Sentences
- "HEAR the sledges with the bells — Silver bells! What a world of merriment their melody foretells!"
- "The bell which called the pupils to their lessons can still be seen on the roof."
- "Referee Steve Smoger was an almost invisible presence in the ring as both men went at it, although he did have a word with Froch when he landed with a shot after the bell at the end of the eighth."
- "I’ll give you a bell later."
- "In a cowslip's bell I lie."
- "He swam to the place where Mary disappeared but there was neither boil nor gurgle on the water, nor even a bell of departing breath, to mark the place where his beloved had sunk."
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *bʰel-der. Proto-Germanic *bellǭ Proto-West Germanic *bellā Old English belle Middle English belle English bell Inherited from Middle English belle, from Old English belle, from Proto-West Germanic *bellā, from Proto-Germanic *bellǭ, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰel-. Cognate with West Frisian belle, bel (“bell”), Dutch bel (“bell”), Low German Belle, Bel (“bell”), Danish bjælde (“bell”), Faroese bjølla (“bell”), Icelandic bjalla (“bell”), Norwegian bjelle (“bell”), Swedish bjällra (“bell”).
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: bellen, bellan, *bellaną, *bʰel-
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /bɛl/
- British English: /bɛl/
Usage
Subject
Wiktionary places this term in People.