: 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
3
: something having the form of a bell: such as
a
: the corolla of a flower
b
: a bell-shaped organ or part (such as the dewlap of a moose)
especially: the bell- or saucer-shaped, largely gelatinous structure that forms the main part of the body of most jellyfish : umbrellaentry 1 sense 3
c
: the part of the capital of a column between the abacus and neck molding
d
: the flared end of a wind instrument
e
: the open mouth of a nozzle (such as of the exhaust of a jet engine)
The heating was so intense … that the gas went rushing out the tail of the engine at 30,000 feet per second, or twice the speed at which exhaust leaves the bell of a conventional engine. Jeffrey Kluger
4
a
: a percussion instrument consisting of metal bars or tubes that when struck give out tones resembling bells—usually used in plural