bellows
/'belouz/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun: 1. A mechanical device that produces a strong current of air: A tool, typically consisting of a hinged container with flexible sides, that is expanded to draw air in and then compressed to force the air out through a nozzle. It is used to intensify a fire by supplying oxygen or to produce sound in certain musical instruments. 2. A flexible, pleated part of an object that expands and contracts: A structure resembling a pair of bellows, such as the folding part connecting the lens and body of some cameras or a flexible tube in machinery.
Examples of Usage
- Noun (Mechanical Device):
- The blacksmith used the bellows to make the coals glow white-hot.
- The sound of the church organ depends on air pumped from large bellows.
- Noun (Flexible Part):
- The old camera had a leather bellows that was light-tight.
- A bellows seal allows for movement while maintaining pressure in the system.
Advanced Usage
- "A pair of bellows": This is the traditional and most common phrasing when referring to the tool, even though it is a single object.
- He pumped the pair of bellows steadily.
Variants and Related Words
- Bellows is typically used as a plural noun (e.g., ) but can refer to a single device. The singular form "bellow" exists but is almost never used for the device; "bellow" is primarily a verb meaning to shout loudly.
- Blower: A more general term for a device that produces a current of air.
- Air pump: A device for compressing or moving air.
Synonyms
- Blower
- Air pump
Related Phrases
- To work the bellows: To operate the bellows by pumping or compressing them.
- His job was to work the bellows for the furnace.
Noun
- a mechanical device that blows a strong current of air; used to make a fire burn more fiercely or to sound a musical instrument