bellen

Dutch

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbɛlə(n)/

• audio

  (file)

• Hyphenation: bel‧len
• Rhymes: -ɛlən

Etymology 1

From Middle Dutch bellen. Equivalent to bel +‎ -en.

Verb

bellen

1. (intransitive) to ring, like using a bell
2. (transitive) to call, by bell (originally) or (now mostly) telephone; to dial

Inflection

Derived terms

Descendants

• → Indonesian: bel
• → Papiamentu: bèl
• → Sranan Tongo: bèl
  • → Trió: bel

Etymology 2

From Middle Dutch bellen, from Old Dutch *bellan, from Proto-West Germanic *bellan, from Proto-Germanic *bellaną. Cognate with English bellow, German bellen and Russian блеять (blejatʹ, “to bleat”).

Verb

bellen

1. (regional, Southern) (intransitive) to bark, like a canine
2. (regional, Southern) (transitive) to bark, scold, insult, rage at

Inflection

Etymology 3

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Noun

bellen

1. plural of bel

German

Etymology

From Middle High German bëllen, from Old High German bellan from Proto-Germanic *bellaną, cognate with English bellow, Russian блеять (blejatʹ, “baa", "bleat”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbɛlən/

• Audio (Austria)

  (file)

• Audio

  (file)

• Hyphenation: bel‧len
• Homophone: Bällen

Verb

bellen (weak, third-person singular present bellt, past tense bellte, past participle gebellt, auxiliary haben)

1. (intransitive) to bark:
   1. (literally) like a canine
      • 1929, Kurt Tucholsky, Das Lächeln der Mona Lisa (Sammelband), Ernst Rowohlt Verlag, page 138:

        Ein Hund bellt, wenn er mit den Sinnen etwas wahrgenommen hat; daraufhin, weil ihn sein Bellen erschreckt und aufregt, und des weiteren, weil sich das wahrgenommene Objekt um ihn kümmert, nicht um ihn kümmert oder davonläuft.

        A dog barks when he perceived something with the senses; thereupon, because his barking scares and upsets him, and furthermore, because the perceived object looks after him, does not look after him, or runs away.

   2. (figuratively) in a rude, loud human voice

Conjugation

Obsolete forms are present billt, preterite ball or boll, past participle gebollen.

Derived terms

• Hunde, die bellen, beißen nicht

Further reading

• “bellen” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
• “bellen” in Uni Leipzig: Wortschatz-Lexikon
• “bellen” in Duden online
• “bellen” in OpenThesaurus.de
• “bellen” in Deutsches Wörterbuch von Jacob und Wilhelm Grimm, 16 vols., Leipzig 1854–1961.

West Frisian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbɛlən/

Noun

bellen

1. plural of bel