Blower Meaning
/ˈbləʊ.ə/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounA person who blows.
nounA fissure from which firedamp issues, often in quantity for many years.
Sentence Examples
A leaf blower is more polluting than an automobile.
Tom cleared out his driveway with his snow blower.
CEFR Practice Quiz
After the leaves covered the lawn, he used a powerful leaf ____ to clear them away.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
He used a leaf ____ to clear the dry leaves from the garden path.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English blowere, blower, from Old English blāwere; equivalent to blow + -er.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"The great sources of fire-damp in coal mines are blowers or fissures from which currents of this inflammable gas issue in considerable quantities and for a long series of years"
— 1843, Humphry Davy, “On the fire-damp of coal mines, and on methods of lighting the mines so as to prevent its explosion”, in Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, number 31 December 1833 volume 2, republished online 1 January 1997:
"The locomotive […] was quietly "blowing off" on one Ross "pop" valve, whilst the rhythmic clanging of the fireman's shovel, the black smoke pouring from her chimney, and the harsh sound of the blower told of the proximity of departure time."
— 1942 July–August, Philip Spencer, “On the Footplate in Egypt”, in Railway Magazine, page 208:
"The three motors on each bogie are force ventilated from a blower mounted in the adjacent nose-end compartment of the superstructure, the air being led by ducts and flexible bellows connections to the air inlet at the commutator end of the motor."
— 1958 June 26, “Main-Line Diesel-Electric Locomotives for the Eastern Region”, in Railway Magazine, page 394:
"I got off the blower oozing no confidence at all."
— 1995, Paul Vautin, Turn It Up!, Sydney: Pan Macmillan Australia, page 144:
"There hangs something majestic about a man who has borne his part in battles, especially if he is very quiet regarding it when you desire him to unbosom. I am continually lost at the absence of blowing and blowers among these old-young American militaires."
— 1999, John Harmon McElroy, editor, The Sacrificial Years: A Chronicle of Walt Whitman's Experiences in the Civil War, page 29:
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CEFR Practice Quiz
After the leaves covered the lawn, he used a powerful leaf ____ to clear them away.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
He used a leaf ____ to clear the dry leaves from the garden path.