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Glite Dictionary
sound bow

sound bow

9.9
Thick part of a bell that the metal piece inside hits to make it ring
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : banda sonora
  • The clapper hit the sound bow with a loud, resonant peal.

Examples

  • Cracks on the sound bow can affect the tone and quality of the bell.

  • Bell makers carefully measure the thickness of the sound bow during the casting process.

  • The sound bow of the bell is crucial for its tone.

  • Many bells have a distinct sound bow that enhances their resonance.

  • Bell makers carefully measure the thickness of the sound bow during the casting process.

  • Cracks on the sound bow can affect the tone and quality of the bell.

  • The sound bow of the bell is crucial for its tone.

Surface Forms

sound bow singular
sound bows plural

Morphology

sound + bow

The element 'sound' clearly signals an auditory relation, so a learner could guess this is a part of a bell involved in producing sound; however, 'bow' in this sense is a specialized, technical term (the thickest part struck by the clapper) that B1 learners will not know from common senses of 'bow'. Because the connection to sound is transparent but the specific referent 'bow' is domain-specific and not predictable, the item is only partially transparent.

Etymology

Sound bow is the thick band on a bell that the clapper hits to make it ring. The words sound and bow show the idea: the thick bow is the part that makes the bell's 'sound', so the name points to the place that produces the ringing.