diving bell
- noun
- /ˈdaɪvɪŋ bɛl/
- Specialized
- In 1974, he designed submersibles and diving bells.
Examples
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To repair the underwater pipeline, the crew relied on a diving bell for transportation to the ocean depths.
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You know that diving bell inside and out and I really need your help.
-
Once that thing comes up, we're only gonna have a few minutes to get it off the diving bell.
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Captain, is it possible to obtain the use of a diving bell? - You really want to go down there? - Yes.
-
They were no longer in the diving bell; that must remain under the sea.
Fiction book (1992) -
Fusconi constructed a diving bell based on the prototype designed by English astronomer Edmund Halley in 1690.
Academic text (2002) -
The deep-sea research team used a diving bell to explore the ocean floor safely.
-
After descending into the water, the scientists monitored their oxygen supply inside the diving bell.
Synonyms
A large watertight chamber filled with compressed air to keep water out while people work underwater
How Deep
- Specialized
- Specialized
- Specialized
- Specialized
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly derivable from combining 'diving' (the activity/domain) with 'bell' (a bell‑shaped chamber or container): together they denote a bell‑shaped device used for diving/underwater work. This modifier+noun compositional pattern is common cross-linguistically, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will very likely infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
Diving bell comes from a clear image: the diving part means going down and the bell part shows its bell shape, a strong chamber with an open bottom that traps 'air' so people can go down to work. That's why today diving bell means a chamber used to carry people or equipment underwater.