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bellows

Pronunciation: /ˈbɛləʊz/

Definition of bellows

[also treated as singular]

1 (also a pair of bellows) a device with an air bag that emits a stream of air when squeezed together with two handles, used for blowing air into a fire: stoking up the fire with the bellows
a device similar to a pair of bellows used in a harmonium or small organ.

2an object or device with concertinaed sides to allow it to expand and contract, such as a tube joining a lens to a camera body.

Origin:

Middle English: probably from Old English belga, plural of belig (see belly), used as a shortened form of earlier blǣstbelig 'blowing bag'

Definition of bellows in the US English dictionary

Nearby words