bellows

bellows
—bellowslike, adj.
/bel"ohz, -euhz/, n. (used with a sing. or pl. v.)
1. a device for producing a strong current of air, consisting of a chamber that can be expanded to draw in air through a valve and contracted to expel it through a tube.
2. anything resembling or suggesting bellows in form, as the collapsible part of a camera or enlarger.
3. the lungs.
[bef. 900; ME bel(o)wes (pl.), OE belg, short for blaest belg, pl. belgas blast-bag; c. D blaasbalg, G Blasebalg, ON belgr. See BELLY]

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Mechanical contrivance for creating a jet of air, consisting usually of a hinged box with flexible sides, which expands to draw in air through an inward opening valve and contracts to expel the air through a nozzle.

Invented in medieval Europe, the bellows was commonly used to speed combustion, as in a blacksmith's or ironworker's forge, or to operate reed or pipe organs.

Bellows inlaid with mother-of-pearl and pewter, Dutch, 17th century; in the Victoria and Albert ...

By courtesy of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London

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▪ mechanical device
 mechanical contrivance for creating a jet of air, consisting usually of a hinged box with flexible sides, which expands to draw in air through an inward opening valve and contracts to expel the air through a nozzle. The bellows was invented in the European Middle Ages and was commonly used to speed combustion, as in a blacksmith's or ironworker's forge, or to operate reed or pipe organs.

      In its simplest form, a hand bellows consists of two flat boards of rectangular, circular, or pear shape, hinged at one end and connected around their edges by a wide band of flexible leather to form an airtight joint. Wire rings keep the leather from collapsing when the boards are separated suddenly and the pressure in the chamber is less than atmospheric. One of the boards has a hole in the centre, covered inside by a leather flap or valve that can open only inward. The outlet nozzle has a relatively small opening.

      When the boards are separated, the partial vacuum created causes the air to rush into the chamber through the valve; when the boards are brought together, the valve closes, and the air in the chamber is discharged through the open nozzle.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Bellows — Bel lows, n. sing. & pl. [OE. bely, below, belly, bellows, AS. b[ae]lg, b[ae]lig, bag, bellows, belly. Bellows is prop. a pl. and the orig. sense is bag. See {Belly}.] An instrument, utensil, or machine, which, by alternate expansion and… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Bellows — ist der Familienname folgender Personen: Brian Bellows (* 1964), kanadischer Eishockeyspieler George Wesley Bellows (1882–1925), amerikanischer Maler Gil Bellows (* 1967), kanadischer Schauspieler Diese Seite ist eine …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • bellows — [bel′ōz΄] sing.n. [ME belwes, orig. pl. of beli: see BELLY] [with sing. or pl. v.] 1. a device that produces a stream of air through a narrow tube when its sides are pressed together: used in pipe organs, for blowing fires, etc. 2. anything like… …   English World dictionary

  • Bellows — (spr. béllos), Henry Whitney, amerikan. Geistlicher, geb. 10. Juni 1814 in Boston, gest. 30. Jan. 1882, wurde 1838 Pfarrer der ersten Kongregationalistenkirche in New York, wo er 1846–50 zugleich das liberale Unitarierblatt »Christian Inquirer«… …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • Bellows —   [ beləʊz], George Wesley, amerikanischer Maler, Zeichner und Lithograph, * Columbus (Ohio) 12. 8. 1882, ✝ New York 8. 1. 1925. Als Schüler von R. Henri gehörte er zu den Malern der Ashcan School. Er suchte Themen im städtischen Alltag,… …   Universal-Lexikon

  • bellows — c.1200, belwes, lit. bags, plural of belu, belw, northern form of beli, from late O.E. belg bag, purse, leathern bottle (see BELLY (Cf. belly)). Reduced from blæstbælg, lit. blowing bag. Used exclusively in plural since 15c., probably due to the… …   Etymology dictionary

  • bellows — ► PLURAL NOUN 1) a device consisting of a bag with two handles, used for blowing air into a fire. 2) an object or device with sides that allow it to expand and contract. ORIGIN probably from the plural of the Old English word for «belly» …   English terms dictionary

  • Bellows — [bel′ōz΄] George (Wesley) 1882 1925; U.S. painter …   English World dictionary

  • Bellows — For other uses, see Bellows (disambiguation). Diagram of a fireplace hand bellows. A bellows is a device for delivering pressurized air in a controlled quantity to a controlled location. Basically, a bellows is a deformable container which has an …   Wikipedia

  • Bellows — /bel ohz/, n. George Wesley, 1882 1925, U.S. painter and lithographer. * * * Mechanical contrivance for creating a jet of air, consisting usually of a hinged box with flexible sides, which expands to draw in air through an inward opening valve… …   Universalium

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