# belling

Pronunciation: say "BEL-ing" /ˈbɛlɪŋ/

## Verb

1. Present participle and gerund of bell. — present participle and gerund of bell
   - Simple: Present participle of bell. Use this form for an action happening right now or as a thing the verb names.
   - _The hunters listened for the stag belling across the valley at dusk._
   - _Belling the herd kept the animals from wandering off unheard._

## Noun

2. The bellowing call made by a male deer during the rutting season.
   - Simple: The deep, loud call a male deer makes during mating season.
   - _At dawn the belling of a rival stag drew the herd's bull onto the ridge._
   - _Deer watchers travel to the park each fall to record the eerie belling of the males._
3. A boisterous mock serenade for newlyweds, in which neighbors gather to raise a loud racket outside their home. *(dialectal, Pennsylvania, US, Western)*
   - Simple: A loud nighttime party where people bang pots outside a newly married couple's home.
   - _After the ceremony, half the county turned up for a belling that lasted past midnight._
   - _The newlyweds knew a belling was coming and stocked the kitchen with treats for their guests._

## Origin

**Meanings 2–3** — From Middle English bellynge, equivalent to "bell" plus the suffix "-ing".
**Meaning 1** — Formed from "bell" plus the suffix "-ing".

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/belling (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).