Reading Theme:
Dumbbells Meaning and How to Use Them
Meaning 1：hand weights (Dumbbells)
Dumbbells
/ˈdʌmbelz/
n.
a pair of short bars with heavy ends that you hold in your hands to do exercises to make your muscles stronger.
hand weights
➕
/hænd weɪts/
n.
A pair of short bars with weighted ends used in strength training to build muscle.
📘 Details & Usage
📖 Root Explanation
Dumb (silent) + bell: originally a silent bell for practice, now a hand weight.
💡 Mnemonic
Imagine a 'dumb' (silent) 'bell' that you lift to get strong arms.
📖 Example
He keeps a set of dumbbells in his living room to do some arm exercises after work every day.
He keeps a set of dumbbells in his living room to do some arm exercises after work every day.
🔗 Collocations
pair of dumbbells – a set of two dumbbells
lift dumbbells – to raise dumbbells during exercise
dumbbell exercises – workout movements using dumbbells
🔄 Synonyms
weights (n.) – general term for objects used for resistance training
hand weights (n.) – small weights held in the hands for exercise
free weights (n.) – weights not attached to a machine, including dumbbells and barbells
🌱 Derivatives
dumbbell (n.) – a single hand weight used in pairs
📖 Cultural Story
In the 18th century, church bells were silenced ('dumb') to allow practice without noise. These silent bells evolved into modern dumbbells.
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