Home › Words › H › handbellhandbellhandbell means A small bell designed to be rung by hand.EtymologyFrom Middle English handbelle, hande belle, from Old English handbelle (“handbell”). By surface analysis, hand + bell.nounA small bell designed to be rung by hand.e.g.“The bell sounded. It was a hand-bell, rung by a boy in the next class-room.” — 1956, Anthony Burgess, Time for a Tiger (The Malayan Trilogy), published 1972, page 58:Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).Words closest in meaningBy meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.bellringing 67% match — The ringing of bells, as performed by a bellringer. vs handbell →campanella 65% match — A smallish suspended bell used in medieval monastic cloisters. vs handbell →tintinnabulum 64% match — A small clinking bell, particularly (historical) a small bell used to call monks to certain tasks. vs handbell →bellhanging 63% match — The work of a bellhanger, hanging up bells. vs handbell →bellmaking 62% match — The manufacture of bells. vs handbell →bellhanger 61% match — A person employed to hang bells, as in a church or (historically) in a house to ring for servants. vs handbell →campane 61% match — A bell, or bell-shaped thing. vs handbell →belldom 61% match — The world of bells and bellringing. vs handbell →