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

1. a mechanical device that blows a strong current of air; used to make a fire burn more fiercely or to sound a musical instrument