Bells - Definition and Overview

Bell has a range of meanings:

• A bell is a simple sound-making device, including Tubular bells and cowbells.
• On a wind instrument the bell is the round, flared opening at the opposite end from the mouthpiece, where the sound exits and is amplified.
• Ship's bells mark the time on a ship.
• The Bel (one 'L') is a measurement of audio level (volume).
• A diving bell is a hollow, usually inverted vessel, such as one used for diving deep below the surface of a body of water.
• In botany, the bell is the corolla of a flower: “In a cowslip's bell I lie” (Shakespeare).
• Bell is also a slang term for the penis.

Also:

• Bell is the name of some places
• Bell railway station, Melbourne

and also of some companies:

• Bell Canada
• Bell Aircraft Corporation
• Bell Helmets (http://www.bellsports.com)
• Bell Telephone Laboratories and hence
  • Bell Gothic & Bell Centennial typefaces

and of some notable persons:

• Alexander Graham Bell
• Eric Temple Bell

See also: Other people named Bell