Dumbbell
/ˈdʌm.bel/noun
A handheld weight used for strength training.
Did you know?The earliest dumbbells were designed to imitate bell-ringing exercises while removing the bell’s clapper, allowing people to train silently.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
Proto-Germanic
*dumbaz
“Mute or unable to speak”
Old English
Old English
dumb
“Silent, speechless, or unable to speak”
Old English
Old English
belle
“A bell, especially a ringing metal instrument”
Early 18th Century
English
dumb bell
“A bell without a clapper, producing no sound”
18th Century
English
dumb-bell
“A handheld weight used for silent exercise modeled on bell ringing”
Modern English
English
dumbbell
“A portable exercise weight”