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bellows

The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. | 2011 | Copyright

bellows expansible, gas-tight chamber used to pump or store a gas. One of the simplest and most familiar types of bellows is the manual one used for providing a forced draft to a fire. The expansible chamber consists of a leather bag with pleated sides. The bag is fixed between handles in such a way that they can be used to make it expand and contract. The inlet and outlet vents are provided with valves so that air must enter through the first and leave through the second. The device thus comprises a simple air pump. One of the major uses of the bellows has been to provide a draft for fires that are used to help extract a metal from its ore. In a device such as an aneroid barometer a small bellows is filled with a known amount of gas that expands and contracts in response to changes in external pressure. This small bellows is coupled to some form of indicating or recording device. Another use of the bellows has been to provide wind for such musical instruments as the accordion and older pipe organs.

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bellows

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English | 2009 | Copyright

bel·lows / ˈbelōz/ • pl. n. [also treated as sing.] 1. a device with a bag that emits a stream of air when squeezed: ∎ (also pair of bellows) a kind with two handles used for blowing air at a fire. ∎ a kind used in a harmonium or small organ. 2. an object or device with concertinaed sides to allow it to expand and contract, such as a tube joining a lens to a camera body.

bellows

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"bellows." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"bellows." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-bellows.html

"bellows." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-bellows.html

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bellows

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology | 1996 | | Copyright

bellows instrument used to blow a fire. ME. belwes, belows, pl. of belu, below, prob. repr. OE. pl. belga, belgum, of bel(i)ġ, bæl(i)ġ BELLY, which in late OE. occurs as abbrev. of earlier blæstbel(i)ġ ‘blowing-bag’ = ON. blāstrbelgr; see BLAST, BELLY.

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T. F. HOAD. "bellows." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

T. F. HOAD. "bellows." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-bellows.html

T. F. HOAD. "bellows." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-bellows.html

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