A bell operated by electricity, typically having a hammer operated by a solenoid which makes a rapid succession of hits as a result of a make-and-break contact on the solenoid.
Origin
Mid 19th century; earliest use found in Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849), fiction writer, poet, and critic.
Definition of electric bell in US English:
electric bell
noun
A bell operated by electricity, typically having a hammer operated by a solenoid which makes a rapid succession of hits as a result of a make-and-break contact on the solenoid.
Origin
Mid 19th century; earliest use found in Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849), fiction writer, poet, and critic.