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A growing assortment of words and definitions used in the Early Modern era. See the Guide for more information.
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Dumbbell

In 1711, Joseph Addison wrote in The Spectator that "I exercise myself an Hour every Morning upon a dumb Bell." The word comes from the heavy weights hung on the end of bell ropes to help ringers pull them. The association of this word with a "stupid person" did not appear until the 1920s.
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