bel

See also: Appendix:Variations of "bel"

Languages (36)

Translingual • English

---

Albanian • Aragonese • Azerbaijani • Bislama • Catalan • Dutch • French • Hamer-Banna • Hausa • Hungarian • Icelandic • Indonesian • Italian • Karaim • Ladino • Maguindanao • Maranao • Middle English • Norman • Norwegian Nynorsk • Old French • Old Occitan • Polish • San Pablo Güilá Zapotec • Serbo-Croatian • Slovene • Spanish • Tok Pisin • Turkish • Turkmen • Uzbek • Volapük • West Frisian • Wiyot

---

Page categories

Translingual

Etymology

Clipping of English Belarusian, from Belarusian беларуская (bjelaruskaja).

Symbol

bel

1. (international standards) ISO 639-2 & ISO 639-3 language code for Belarusian.

See also

• Wiktionary’s coverage of Belarusian terms

English

English Wikipedia has an article on:

bel

Wikipedia

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bɛl/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛl
• Homophones: bell, belle

Etymology 1

Named after Alexander Graham Bell.

Noun

bel (plural bels)

1. A measure of relative power, defined as log₁₀(P ₁/P ₂), where P₁ and P₂ are the measured and reference power respectively.

Derived terms

• centibel
• decibel
• femtobel
• gigabel
• nanobel

Translations

measure of relative power

Belarusian: бел m (bjel) Bulgarian: бел (bg) m (bel) Czech: bel (cs) m French: bel (fr) m Hungarian: bel (hu) Icelandic: bel (is) n Macedonian: бел m (bel) Polish: bel (pl) m Russian: бе́л (ru) m (bél) Tatar: бел m (bel) Thai: เบล (bel) Ukrainian: бел m (bel)

References

• Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary

Etymology 2

Noun

bel (plural bels)

1. Alternative form of bael.

Anagrams

• BLE, EBL, LEB, Leb, Leb.

Albanian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bɛl/

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Ottoman Turkish بل (bel, “waist; spade”) (Turkish bel).

Noun

bel m

1. (anatomy) waist

   Synonym: mes

Etymology 2

From Ottoman Turkish بل (bel, “spade”), from Persian بیل (bil, “spade”).

Noun

bel m

1. spade

   Synonyms: maç, lopatë

Aragonese

Alternative forms

• bela, bel-la (feminine)

Etymology

From Latin bellus (“pretty”). Compare Gascon bèth for the determiner use.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbel/
• Syllabification: bel
• Rhymes: -el

Adjective

bel m

1. strange (in certain expressions)

Determiner

bel m

1. any, anyone

References

• Badia I Margarit, Antonio. 1950. El habla del Valle de Bielsa. Barcelona: Instituto de Estudios Pirenaicos. 88, 232.

Azerbaijani

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bel/

• Audio (Baku):

  (file)

Etymology 1

From Proto-Turkic *bẹ̄l.

Noun

bel (definite accusative beli, plural bellər)

1. (anatomy) back of the body

   Synonyms: dal, arxa

   Belim ağrıyır. ― My back hurts.

   uşaqlığı at belində keçən adam ― a person whose childhood has passed on the back of a horse.

2. (anatomy) small of the back
3. (anatomy) waist

   Synonym: miyan

4. (geography) saddleback, saddle, col

Derived terms

• bel bağlamaq (“to rely on”)

Etymology 2

From Persian بیل (bil, “spade”).

Noun

bel (definite accusative beli, plural bellər)

1. spade

Declension

Declension of bel

	singular	plural
nominative	bel	bellr
definite accusative	beln	bellr
dative	bely	bellr
locative	beld	bellrd
ablative	beldn	bellrdn
definite genitive	belnn	bellrn

Possessive forms of bel

	nominative
	singular	plural
mənim (“my”)	belm	bellrm
sənin (“your”)	beln	bellrn
onun (“his/her/its”)	bels	bellr
bizim (“our”)	belmz	bellrmz
sizin (“your”)	belnz	bellrnz
onların (“their”)	bels or bellr	bellr
	accusative
	singular	plural
mənim (“my”)	belm	bellrm
sənin (“your”)	beln	bellrn
onun (“his/her/its”)	belsn	bellrn
bizim (“our”)	belmz	bellrmz
sizin (“your”)	belnz	bellrnz
onların (“their”)	belsn or bellrn	bellrn
	dative
	singular	plural
mənim (“my”)	belm	bellrm
sənin (“your”)	beln	bellrn
onun (“his/her/its”)	belsn	bellrn
bizim (“our”)	belmz	bellrmz
sizin (“your”)	belnz	bellrnz
onların (“their”)	belsn or bellrn	bellrn
	locative
	singular	plural
mənim (“my”)	belmd	bellrmd
sənin (“your”)	belnd	bellrnd
onun (“his/her/its”)	belsnd	bellrnd
bizim (“our”)	belmzd	bellrmzd
sizin (“your”)	belnzd	bellrnzd
onların (“their”)	belsnd or bellrnd	bellrnd
	ablative
	singular	plural
mənim (“my”)	belmdn	bellrmdn
sənin (“your”)	belndn	bellrndn
onun (“his/her/its”)	belsndn	bellrndn
bizim (“our”)	belmzdn	bellrmzdn
sizin (“your”)	belnzdn	bellrnzdn
onların (“their”)	belsndn or bellrndn	bellrndn
	genitive
	singular	plural
mənim (“my”)	belmn	bellrmn
sənin (“your”)	belnn	bellrnn
onun (“his/her/its”)	belsnn	bellrnn
bizim (“our”)	belmzn	bellrmzn
sizin (“your”)	belnzn	bellrnzn
onların (“their”)	belsnn or bellrnn	bellrnn

Further reading

• “bel” in Obastan.com.

Bislama

Etymology 1

From English bell.

Noun

bel

1. bell

Etymology 2

From English belly.

Noun

bel

1. belly

Etymology 3

From English bale.

Noun

bel

1. bale

Catalan

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic, Valencia) [ˈbɛl]

Etymology 1

Deverbal from belar (“to bleat”).

Noun

bel m (plural bels)

1. baa, bleat

Related terms

• belar

Etymology 2

Noun

bel m (plural bels)

1. (physics, acoustics) bel

Dutch

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bɛl/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: bel
• Rhymes: -ɛl

Etymology 1

From Middle Dutch belle, from Old Dutch bella, from Proto-Germanic *bellǭ. This etymology is incomplete. You can help Wiktionary by elaborating on the origins of this term.

Noun

bel f (plural bellen, diminutive belletje n)

1. bell
2. (obsolete) segment of a rattlesnake's rattle

Derived terms

• belhamel
• belleman
• beltrom
• beltrommel
• deurbel
• draaibel
• een belletje doen rinkelen
• fietsbel
• rinkelbel
• rotorbel
• toeters en bellen

Descendants

• → Caribbean Javanese: bèl
• → Sranan Tongo: bèl

Etymology 2

Probably a variant of bal (“ball, round convex object”)

Noun

bel f (plural bellen, diminutive belletje n)

1. bubble

   Synonym: bubbel

Derived terms

• luchtbel
• snottebel
• zeepbel

Etymology 3

Compare the semantic development of slet, but it is not certain whether the sense rag here is related to the sense referring to vulgar women, which is barely attested as simplex. Alternatively, the compounds featuring this words have been explained as being formed by analogy with snottebel or perhaps lellebel; note lellebellen (“to chit-chat”), which is attested as early as 1599 and may be related to German bellen (“to bark”). This etymology is incomplete. You can help Wiktionary by elaborating on the origins of this term.

Noun

bel ? (plural bellen, diminutive belletje n)

1. (obsolete, literally) rag
2. (obsolete, figuratively) loose, vulgar woman

Derived terms

• bellig
• lellebel
• morsebel
• slettebel
• teutebel
• totebel
• tuttebel

Etymology 4

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

bel

1. inflection of bellen:
   1. first-person singular present indicative
   2. (in case of inversion) second-person singular present indicative
   3. imperative

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bɛl/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Audio (France (Vosges)):

  (file)

• Audio (France (Lyon)):

  (file)

• Homophones: bêle, belle

Etymology 1

see beau

Adjective

bel

1. form of beau used before a masculine noun that starts with a vowel sound

Usage notes

• used before masculine nouns that start with a vowel like animal but also before nouns that start with a vowel sound like homme, where the h is silent: un bel homme (/œ̃ bɛ.l‿ɔm/)

Related terms

• bel air
• bel-enfant
• bel esprit

Etymology 2

Named for Alexander Graham Bell

Noun

bel m (plural bels)

1. (sound engineering) bel (unit of sound intensity)

Derived terms

• décibel

Further reading

• “bel”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Anagrams

• blé

Hamer-Banna

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bél/, [bél̥]

Noun

bel

1. (of girls) bond friend (friend across ethnic boundaries)

References

Petrollino, Sara (2016), A Grammar of Hamar: A South Omotic language of Ethiopia‎, Leiden University

Hausa

Etymology

Borrowed from English belt.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bél/
  • (Standard Kano Hausa) IPA^(key): [bál]

Noun

bêl m

1. belt
2. seatbelt

Hungarian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈbɛl]
• Hyphenation: bel
• Rhymes: -ɛl

Etymology 1

From English bel.

Noun

bel

1. bel (a unit of measurement)

Declension

Inflection (stem in -e-, front unrounded harmony)

	singular	plural
nominative	bel	belek
accusative	belt	beleket
dative	belnek	beleknek
instrumental	bellel	belekkel
causal-final	belért	belekért
translative	bellé	belekké
terminative	belig	belekig
essive-formal	belként	belekként
essive-modal	—	—
inessive	belben	belekben
superessive	belen	beleken
adessive	belnél	beleknél
illative	belbe	belekbe
sublative	belre	belekre
allative	belhez	belekhez
elative	belből	belekből
delative	belről	belekről
ablative	beltől	belektől
non-attributive possessive – singular	belé	beleké
non-attributive possessive – plural	beléi	belekéi

Possessive forms of bel

possessor	single possession	multiple possessions
1st person sing.	belem	beleim
2nd person sing.	beled	beleid
3rd person sing.	bele	belei
1st person plural	belünk	beleink
2nd person plural	beletek	beleitek
3rd person plural	belük	beleik

Derived terms

Compound words

• decibel

Etymology 2

From bél.

Noun

bel

1. (archaic) internal part (a variant form of bél, used in derivatives)

Related terms

• -ban / -ben
• -ba / -be
• be → be-
• bel-
• bele (belé, beléje)
• -beli (-béli)
• beljebb (bellebb)
• bellebbez (beljebbez)
• belőle
• belső (benső)
• belül (belől, bévül)
• benne
• bennünket,  -eteket
• bent (benn)
• bél (and archaic bel)
• -ból / -ből

Further reading

• bel in Géza Bárczi, László Országh, et al., editors, A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára [The Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language] (ÉrtSz.), Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1959–1962. Fifth ed., 1992: →ISBN.
• bel and bel- in Nóra Ittzés, editor, A magyar nyelv nagyszótára [A Comprehensive Dictionary of the Hungarian Language] (Nszt.), Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 2006–2031 (work in progress; published a–ez as of 2024).

Icelandic

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpɛːl/

  Rhymes: -ɛːl

Noun

bel n (genitive singular bels, nominative plural bel)

1. bel (measure of relative power)

Declension

Declension of bel (neuter)

	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	bel	belið	bel	belin
accusative	bel	belið	bel	belin
dative	beli	belinu	belum	belunum
genitive	bels	belsins	bela	belanna

Related terms

• desibel, desíbel

Indonesian

Etymology 1

From Dutch bel (“bell”), from Middle Dutch belle, from Old Dutch bella, from Proto-Germanic *bellǭ.

Pronunciation

• (Standard Indonesian) IPA^(key): /ˈbel/ [ˈbɛl]
• Rhymes: -el
• Syllabification: bel

Noun

bél (plural bel-bel)

1. bell

   Synonym: lonceng

Verb

bèl (active mengebel, passive dibel)

1. to ring a bell
2. (colloquial) to bell, telephone

Etymology 2

From English bel, after Alexander Graham Bell.

Pronunciation

• (Standard Indonesian) IPA^(key): /ˈbəl/ [ˈbəl]
• Rhymes: -əl
• Syllabification: bel

Noun

bêl (plural bel-bel)

1. (physics) bel

Further reading

• “bel”, in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia [Great Dictionary of the Indonesian Language] (in Indonesian), Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016

Italian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bɛl/
• Rhymes: -ɛl
• Hyphenation: bel

Adjective

bel

1. preconsonantal masculine singular form of bello

Karaim

Etymology

From Proto-Turkic *bẹ̄l(k).

Noun

bel

1. thigh, waist

References

• N. A. Baskakov, S.M. Šapšala, editor (1973), “bel”, in Karaimsko-Russko-Polʹskij Slovarʹ [Karaim-Russian-Polish Dictionary], Moscow: Moskva, →ISBN