Main Entry:

bel·lows

Pronunciation:

\ˈbe-(ˌ)lōz, -ləz\

Function:

noun plural but singular or plural in construction

Etymology:

Middle English bely, below, belwes — more at belly

Date:

before 12th century

1: an instrument or machine that by alternate expansion and contraction draws in air through a valve or orifice and expels it through a tube ; also : any of various other blowers2: lungs3: the pleated expansible part in a camera ; also : a metallic or plastic flexible and expansible vessel