overwordExplorer
DUTCH · A WORD WITH POSSIBILITIES

bel.

bell

3 characters1 syllables approx.Nederlands language

Meaning & usage

noun/bɛl/
  1. bell

    feminine
  2. segment of a rattlesnake's rattle

    feminine · obsolete
Where this word comes from

From Middle Dutch belle, from Old Dutch bella, from Proto-Germanic *bellǭ.

noun/bɛl/
  1. rag

    literally · obsolete
  2. loose, vulgar woman

    figuratively · obsolete
Where this word comes from

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”).

noun/bɛl/
  1. bubble

    feminine
Where this word comes from

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

FROM WORD TO NAME

Try it on your idea.

bel has 3 characters. Say it out loud, try it alongside a description of your project, and see whether its meaning fits what you want to create.

bel studiobel workshello, bel

These are naming prompts. Meanings and pronunciation can vary; existing brand and domain uses have not been checked.

Explore the name generator

A word with a source.

Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.