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Acton
[ak-tuh n] /ˈæk tən/ (Show IPA) pen name of .
Alexander Graham, 1847–1922, U.S. scientist, born in Scotland: inventor of the telephone.
(Arthur) Clive (Howard) 1881–1964, English critic of literature and art.
Currer
[kur-er] /ˈkɜr ər/ (Show IPA) pen name of .
Ellis, pen name of .
James Thomas (“Cool Papa”) 1903–91, U.S. baseball player, a Negro Leagues outfielder noted for his speed.
John, 1797–1869, U.S. political leader: Speaker of the House 1834–35.
a city in SW California, near Los Angeles.
Historical Examples

In 1875 alexander graham bell invented the first successful electric telephone.
American Inventions and Inventors William A. Mowry

The telephone receiver was invented in 1876 by alexander graham bell.
Physics Willis Eugene Tower

Such is the extraordinary city of which alexander graham bell was the only resident in 1875.
The History of the Telephone Herbert N. Casson

The inventor of the modern telephone is alexander graham bell.
Great Inventions and Discoveries Willis Duff Piercy

His name, now known as widely as the telephone itself, was alexander graham bell.
The History of the Telephone Herbert N. Casson

The first to produce a practicable speaking telephone was alexander graham bell.
Heroes of the Telegraph J. Munro

She was a bright, lovable girl, and had learned to talk through the teaching of alexander graham bell.
Modern Americans Chester Sanford

So you see alexander graham bell knew a great deal about the way we talk.
Modern Americans Chester Sanford

alexander graham bell’s life ambition was to teach deaf children how to articulate.
The Book of Courage John Thomson Faris

Twenty-three years later alexander graham bell used the electric current for his telephone.
The Story of Mankind Hendrik Van Loon

noun
a hollow, usually metal, cup-shaped instrument that emits a musical ringing sound when struck, often by a clapper hanging inside it
the sound made by such an instrument or device, as for showing the hours or marking the beginning or end of a period of time
an electrical device that rings or buzzes as a signal
the bowl-shaped termination of the tube of certain musical wind instruments, such as the trumpet or oboe
any musical percussion instrument emitting a ringing tone, such as a glockenspiel, one of a set of hand bells, etc Compare chime1 (sense 3)
(nautical) a signal rung on a ship’s bell to count the number of half-hour intervals during each of six four-hour watches reckoned from midnight. Thus, one bell may signify 12.30, 4.30, or 8.30 a.m. or p.m
See diving bell
(biology) a structure resembling a bell in shape, such as the corolla of certain flowers or the body of a jellyfish
(Brit, slang) a telephone call (esp in the phrase give someone a bell)
(Brit, informal) beat seven bells out of, knock seven bells out of, to give a severe beating to
bell, book, and candle

instruments used formerly in excommunications and other ecclesiastical acts
(informal) the solemn ritual ratification of such acts

ring a bell, to sound familiar; recall to the mind something previously experienced, esp indistinctly
sound as a bell, in perfect condition
the bells, the ringing of bells, in a church or other public building, at midnight on December 31st, symbolizing the beginning of a new year
verb
to be or cause to be shaped like a bell
(transitive) to attach a bell or bells to
bell the cat, to undertake a dangerous mission
noun
a bellowing or baying cry, esp that of a hound or a male deer in rut
verb
to utter (such a cry)
noun
Acton, Currer (ˈkʌrə), and Ellis. pen names of the sisters Anne, Charlotte, and Emily Brontë See Brontë
Alexander Graham. 1847–1922, US scientist, born in Scotland, who invented the telephone (1876)
Sir Francis Henry Dillon. 1851–1936, New Zealand statesman; prime minister of New Zealand (1925)
Gertrude (Margaret Lowthian). 1868–1926, British traveller, writer, and diplomat; secretary to the British High Commissioner in Baghdad (1917–26)
Joshua. born 1967, US violinist
Dame (Susan) Jocelyn, married name Jocelyn Burnell, born 1943, British radio astronomer, who discovered the first pulsar
Vanessa, original name Vanessa Stephen. 1879–1961, British painter; a member of the Bloomsbury group, sister of Virginia Woolf and wife of the art critic Clive Bell (1881–1964)
n.

Old English belle, common North Sea Germanic (cf. Middle Dutch belle, Middle Low German belle) but not found elsewhere in Germanic (except as a borrowing), from PIE root *bhel- (4) “to sound, roar.” Statistical bell curve was coined 1870s in French. Of glasses in the shape of a bell from 1640s. Bell pepper is from 1707, so called for its shape. Bell, book, and candle is a reference to a form of excommunication. To ring a bell “awaken a memory” (1934) is perhaps a reference to Pavlovian experiments.
v.

“attach a bell,” late 14c., from bell (n.). Related: Belled; belling. Allusions to the story of the mice that bell the cat (so they can hear him coming) date to 1520s.

Bell (běl), Sir Charles. 1774-1842.

British anatomist and surgeon who published detailed anatomies of the nervous system and the brain. He was the first to distinguish between sensory and motor nerves. Bell’s Law and Bell’s palsy are named for him.
Bell
(běl)
Scottish-born American scientist and inventor whose lifelong interest in the education of deaf people led him to conceive the idea of transmitting speech by electric waves. In 1876 his experiments with a telegraph resulted in his invention of the telephone. He later produced the first successful sound recorder, an early hearing aid, and many other devices.

Related Terms

dumbbell, hell’s bells, ring a bell, ring someone’s bell, ring the bell, saved by the bell, with bells on

The bells first mentioned in Scripture are the small golden bells attached to the hem of the high priest’s ephod (Ex. 28:33, 34, 35). The “bells of the horses” mentioned by Zechariah (14:20) were attached to the bridles or belts round the necks of horses trained for war, so as to accustom them to noise and tumult.

In addition to the idiom beginning with
bell
also see:

clear as a bell
ring a bell
saved by the bell
sound as a bell
with bells on