bell jar
Glass specimen cover
A bell jar is a glass dome, shaped like a bell, used to cover objects or create a sealed environment.
Scientists use bell jars in experiments requiring a vacuum or controlled atmosphere, while decorators display delicate items beneath them.
The term gained literary resonance from Sylvia Plath's novel, where it became a metaphor for suffocating isolation and mental illness: She felt trapped under a bell jar, cut off from the world around her.
Rounded vault forming roof
- glassTransparent solid from sand
- coverProtect by overlaying
- enclosureConfined, bordered space
- vesselReceptacle for contents
cloche · terrarium · display case · protective cover · globe · chamber · housing · capsule
Presentation for viewing
- showcaseCabinet for displaying items
- clocheFitted dome-shaped hat
- centerpieceDecorative table focal point
- terrariumGlass-walled growing enclosure
ornament · curio · collectible · specimen · taxidermy · dried flowers · keepsake · curiosity
Complete separation from others
- suffocationFatal lack of air
- entrapmentDefense against induced criminality
- confinementState of being restricted
- trappedUnable to escape
airless · stifling · claustrophobia · disconnection · separation · imprisonment · enclosure · breathlessness
- SylviaFeminine name, forest-derived
- confessionalBooth for admitting sins
- novelNew and unusual
- autobiographicalConcerning one's own life
depression · mental illness · suffocation · feminism · alienation · isolation · breakdown · asylum
Facility for scientific investigation
- experimentSystematic investigation procedure
- vacuumAbsence of matter
- glasswareDrinking containers of silica
- borosilicateHeat-tolerant glass compound
apparatus · desiccation · vacuum pump · air pressure · demonstration · Boyle's law · gas laws · decompression
dome
Rounded vault forming roof
vessel · cloche · terrarium · display case · protective cover · globe · chamber · housing · capsule · glass dome
display
Presentation for viewing
- showcaseCabinet for displaying items
- clocheFitted dome-shaped hat
- centerpieceDecorative table focal point
terrarium · ornament · curio · collectible · specimen · taxidermy · dried flowers · keepsake · curiosity · vitrine
isolation
Complete separation from others
- suffocationFatal lack of air
- entrapmentDefense against induced criminality
- confinementState of being restricted
trapped · airless · stifling · claustrophobia · disconnection · separation · imprisonment · enclosure · breathlessness · oppression
Plath
- SylviaFeminine name, forest-derived
- confessionalBooth for admitting sins
- novelNew and unusual
autobiographical · depression · mental illness · suffocation · feminism · alienation · isolation · breakdown · asylum · electroshock
laboratory
Facility for scientific investigation
- experimentSystematic investigation procedure
- vacuumAbsence of matter
- glasswareDrinking containers of silica
borosilicate · apparatus · desiccation · vacuum pump · air pressure · demonstration · Boyle's law · gas laws · decompression · physics
- Victorianaseances, Dickens, spiritualism, Sherlock Holmes, phrenology
- glasswareglass cups, bottles, glassware, glass vases, vial
- jars
- vesselsvase, cups, pot, bowl, jug
- Victorian antiquesbustle, corset, bonnet, cravat, waistcoat
- bell shapesbluebell, cowbell, handbell, harebell, foxglove
bell jaropening
Gap or start
open air · exposure · freedom · open space · release
bell jarliberation
Release from constraint
clarity · connection · openness · breathing room · fresh air
bell jaropen air
Unenclosed outdoor space
ventilation · fresh air · circulation · airflow · breathability
jar, bell, bells, jarring, jars, doorbell, dumbbell, barbell, bellwether