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Explosions shook the ground, artillery shells, mortars and bombs continuously rained down, fires blazed, and smoke bellowed high into the sky.
Doesn't bellowing mean "make a loud sound"? If that's the case, then why are we using it as if it meant "moving high into the sky"? It doesn't make sense. What kind of figure of speech is being used here? Or how do you explain such usage?
remote
Posted 2020-05-14T23:11:25.437
Reputation: 371
38
It's a misprint! The smoke billowed high into the sky.
See Lexico for definition and examples.
Old Brixtonian
Posted 2020-05-14T23:11:25.437
Reputation: 2 714
1
It's an archaic term for expelling something - the root of the word is from the word "bellows" which pump and "bellow" air.
[Reference - 2nd definition][1] https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/bellowed+out
spugnut
Posted 2020-05-14T23:11:25.437
Reputation: 27
2That's a link to "bellow out", which is not how the word was used in the question. – David K – 2020-05-15T11:05:34.080
2Frankly, I think freedictionary is wrong here. There is no external citation for this usage and I can't find it in any other dictionary I've looked in. – Dancrumb – 2020-05-15T15:44:14.947
Er, the root is to make noise. https://www.etymonline.com/word/bellow
(Hmm, pressing Enter is auto-submit...)
A bellows is a tool for producing the force of air to operate a bellowing instrument, like an accordion. (It can be rather noisy itself, too.)
@Dúthomhas, my Concise Oxford says that the most likely etymology is from the Old English for belly, presumably referring to the appearance of a bellows rather than any particular use. – Harry Johnston – 2020-05-15T23:42:00.250
ockquote>
An extended form of the root [bhel, which is PIE and therefore many thousands of years old], bhelgh- "to swell," forms all or part of: bellows; belly; bilge; billow; bolster; budget; bulge; Excalibur; Firbolgs. – etymonline, billow. – Mazura – 2020-05-16T02:36:04.890
The root is (bhel), 1. "to shine, flash, burn" also "shining white". 2. "to blow, swell,". 3. "to thrive, bloom". – Mazura – 2020-05-16T02:39:35.677
Ah, that makes more sense. I guess you can’t believe everything you find online. – Dúthomhas – 2020-05-16T02:46:57.713
this is completely wrong – Fattie – 2020-05-16T20:37:03.187
Could be that the text is exactly what the author wrote, but that he intended
billowed, and it was missed in editing because it's just possibly a figure of speech... – Ross Presser – 2020-05-15T13:50:14.0072Either way, it's just a mistake because the words are similar. – Barmar – 2020-05-15T15:12:58.633