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Glite Dictionary
bell tent

bell tent

4.7
A tent with a round floor and a tall pole in the middle
  • noun
  • /bɛl tɛnt/
translation icon : tienda de campana
  • During our camping trip, we set up our bell tent near the lake, enjoying its spacious interior and tall pole.

Examples

  • I just want, I'm going to rent one of the big bell tents and have all my mates and a little fire pit and lights and music.

  • I was in Uig last year, living in a bell tent on the beach near Mangerstadh for a few weeks.

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  • We've come to B&Q to try and get some stuff to make the make the bell tent even better.

  • The bell tent provides excellent shelter during festivals, combining style with functionality.

  • I found a beautiful bell tent for rent that comes equipped with comfortable bedding and decorative lights.

Surface Forms

bell tent singular
bell tents plural

Morphology

bell + tent

The meaning is directly compositional: 'bell' (bell-shaped) modifies 'tent' (a collapsible shelter) to indicate a tent shaped like a bell. This adjective-noun compounding follows regular English patterns and is cross-linguistically transparent, so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

Bell tent The name bell tent comes from how the tent looks: its round base and high center pole make a 'bell-like' shape, so it really looks like a large bell. That's why the name tells you it is a tent with a tall middle and plenty of space.