also: a metallic or plastic flexible and expansible vessel
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the WebThe massive 8 x 10 inch plate captures film images through a bellows whereby the optical and focal planes can be shifted up to eight degrees, ideal for architectural photography or artsy tilt-shift techniques. Basem Wasef, Robb Report, 2 Sep. 2022 Now the seaside dunes of northern Indiana, at the edge of the great glacial lakes, breathe fire from iron bellows, and the future of all elephants on Earth is threatened by the same processes that transformed this world in a matter of centuries. Peter Brannen, The Atlantic, 22 June 2022 Has a bellows-like pharynx that enables it to vacuum its prey into its mouth. Henry Alford, The New Yorker, 29 July 2022 Within seconds, a chorus of cetacean song filled the air—humpbacks emanating a series of elevated chirps and bellows and downward-spiraling moans. Dyllan Furness, Outside Online, 20 Aug. 2020 The din of battle drowned out the bellows of frightened livestock. Laura Kingstaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 10 May 2022 Such exigencies exacerbated the slog that defines thru-hiking, where miles seem to expand and contract like accordion bellows.Outside Online, 2 July 2020 The Federal Reserve’s zero-interest-rate policy has pumped those hot-air bellows ever since. Andy Kessler, WSJ, 15 May 2022 The reptiles essentially use the far end of their lungs as a bellows to pull in air whenever the ribs closer to the head are obstructed. Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 24 Mar. 2022 See More
Word History
Etymology
Middle English bely, below, belwes — more at belly
First Known Use
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of bellows was before the 12th century