air bell

noun

1

: a hollow inverted vessel (such as a diving bell or bell jar)

An air bell was used in the construction of one of the new piers for the Baltimore & Ohio R. R. bridge over the Allegheny River at Pittsburgh, Pa.

—Engineering and Contracting, July–December 1922

2

: an air bubble

3

: an undeveloped spot on a negative or print caused by the adherence of an air bubble to the film surface during development

Word History

First Known Use

1782, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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