Standard Lemma guide

handbell

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A small bell designed to be rung by hand.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: entertainment, lifestyle, music

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

a bell that is held in the hand

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: chime, bell, gong

History

Etymology

From Middle English handbelle, hande belle, from Old English handbelle (“handbell”). By surface analysis, hand + bell.

Across languages

Translations

14 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: نَاقُوس (nāqūs) — small bell rung by hand
  • Chinese Mandarin: 手搖鈴 /手摇铃 (shǒuyáolíng) — small bell rung by hand
  • Finnish: käsikello — small bell rung by hand
  • French: cloche à main — small bell rung by hand
  • French: sonnette — small bell rung by hand
  • German: Handglocke — small bell rung by hand
  • Hungarian: csengettyű — small bell rung by hand
  • Italian: campanello — small bell rung by hand
  • Japanese: ハンドベル (handoberu) — small bell rung by hand
  • Korean: 핸드벨 (haendeubel) — small bell rung by hand
  • Polish: dzwonek z rączką — small bell rung by hand
  • Portuguese: campainha — small bell rung by hand
  • Russian: колоко́льчик (kolokólʹčik) — small bell rung by hand
  • Spanish: campanilla — small bell rung by hand