bellows Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. 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
  2. noun a very loud utterance (like the sound of an animal)
    holla; bellow; roar; hollo; yowl; holler; hollering; holloa; bellowing; roaring.
    • his bellow filled the hallway
  3. noun United States author (born in Canada) whose novels influenced American literature after World War II (1915-2005)
    Bellow; Saul Bellow; Solomon Bellow.
  4. verb shout loudly and without restraint
    bellow; bawl.
  5. verb make a loud noise, as of animal
    roar; bellow.
    • The bull bellowed

WordNet


Bel"lows noun singular & plural
Etymology
OE. bely, below, belly, bellows, AS. bælg, bælig, bag, bellows, belly. Bellows is prop. a pl. and the orig. sense is bag. See Belly.
Definitions
  1. An instrument, utensil, or machine, which, by alternate expansion and contraction, or by rise and fall of the top, draws in air through a valve and expels it through a tube for various purposes, as blowing fires, ventilating mines, or filling the pipes of an organ with wind.

Webster 1913