Main Entry: ¹bell

Pronunciation: \ˈbel\

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English belle, from Old English; perhaps akin to Old English bellan to roar — more at bellow

Date: before 12th century

1 a : a hollow metallic device that gives off a reverberating sound when struck b : doorbell
2 a : the sounding of a bell as a signal b : a stroke of a bell (as on shipboard) to indicate the time; also : the time so indicated c : a half hour period of a watch on shipboard indicated by the strokes of a bell — see ship's bells table below
3 : something having the form of a bell: as a : the corolla of a flower b : a bell-shaped organ or part (as the umbrella of a jellyfish or the dewlap of a moose) c : the part of the capital of a column between the abacus and neck molding d : the flared end of a wind instrument
4 a : a percussion instrument consisting of metal bars or tubes that when struck give out tones resembling bells —usually used in plural b : glockenspiel

[bell table]