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Glite Dictionary
bell shape

bell shape

3.2
A rounded form that is wider at the bottom and narrower at the top like a bell
  • noun
translation icon : forma de campana
  • She designed her dress in a bell shape, which flared out dramatically from the waist.

Examples

  • So it will take a bell shape and spread it or narrow it, but it will still be a bell shape.

  • The vase has a beautiful bell shape, wide at the bottom and tapering elegantly at the top.

  • The garden feature took on a bell shape with its rounded base and slender peak, creating a striking silhouette.

Synonyms

bell
vsbell shape
71 1.0

A shape that is round at the bottom and narrow at the top

is the descriptive phrase for that outline rather than the object name

Surface Forms

bell shape singular
bell shapes plural

Morphology

bell + shape

The meaning 'a shape resembling a bell' is directly and compositionally derived from 'bell' (a bell-shaped form) + 'shape' (outline or form). This is a simple descriptive noun+noun combination that follows transparent, cross-linguistically common compounding patterns, so a B1 learner who knows both constituent words can infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

Bell shape probably comes from the simple look of a bell: a bell is round and wider at the bottom and narrower at the top, so the shape of something that 'looks like a bell' got this name. That's why we use bell shape to mean 'rounded and wider at the bottom'.