bellows

¹

[ bel-ohz, -uhz ]

noun

, (used with a singular or plural verb)

1. a device for producing a strong current of air, consisting of a chamber that can be expanded to draw in air through a valve and contracted to expel it through a tube.
2. anything resembling or suggesting bellows in form, as the collapsible part of a camera or enlarger.
3. the lungs.

Bellows

²

[ bel-ohz ]

noun

1. George Wesley, 1882–1925, U.S. painter and lithographer.

bellows

/ ˈbɛləʊz /

noun

1. Also calledpair of bellows an instrument consisting of an air chamber with flexible sides or end, a means of compressing it, an inlet valve, and a constricted outlet that is used to create a stream of air, as for producing a draught for a fire or for sounding organ pipes
2. photog a telescopic light-tight sleeve, connecting the lens system of some cameras to the body of the instrument
3. a flexible corrugated element used as an expansion joint, pump, or means of transmitting axial motion

Other Words From

• bellows·like adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of bellows¹

before 900; Middle English bel(o ) wes (plural), Old English belg, short for blǣst belg, plural belgas blast-bag; cognate with Dutch blaasbalg, German Blasebalg, Old Norse belgr. See belly

Word History and Origins

Origin of bellows¹

C16: from plural of Old English belig belly

Example Sentences

“I’m the son of the sovereign - if I want to go on telly and defend myself, I will,” he bellows, but with the addition of multiple strong swear words, in a way few royals have been portrayed before.

From BBC

Terry bellows in the direction of the kitchen.

From BBC

Immediately after the prom at Lure, Behnam and her classmates ventured to Bootsy Bellows, a velvet-roped club in West Hollywood, which Milken student organizers had booked for the Bel-Air school’s after-prom party.

From Los Angeles Times

Bootsy Bellows is popular among celebrities like Drake, and, it turns out, some L.A. private school prom committees.

From Los Angeles Times

Crossroads School, a Santa Monica prep school, held a prom at Bootsy Bellows a few years after the Milken event.

From Los Angeles Times