English
handbell
Handbell comes from Middle English handbelle, and goes back to Old English handbelle.
- Old Englishc. 450–1150handbelle
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form
- Englishearliest quotation 1956handbell
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Old Englishc. 450–1150handbelle
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form
- Englishearliest quotation 1956handbell
Earliest quotation: 1956, Anthony Burgess, Time for a Tiger (The Malayan Trilogy): “The bell sounded. It was a hand-bell, rung by…”
Every English word from Old English handbelle
Today it means
noun A small bell designed to be rung by hand.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Old English handbelle / handbell