belfry
Part of speech: noun
Morphological type: compound
Topics: architecture
Etymology: From Middle English belfry, bellfray, belfray, berfrey, barfray, from Old French belfroi, berfroi, berfrey, from Late Latin berfrēdus, from Frankish *bergafriþu, from Proto-Germanic *bergafriþuz, equivalent to barrow + frith. English forms containing bel- as opposed to ber- were preferred due to false association with English bell. Cognate with Middle High German bërcvrit, bërvrit (“defensive tower”) (modern German Bergfried), Middle Dutch bergfrede, bergfert. Doublet of bergfried.
Compound parts: barrow
frith
Inflected forms:
form: belfries
pos: noun
tags: plural
Senses:
gloss: A tower or steeple typically containing bells, especially as part of a church.
pos: noun
examples: “You know, this house does have a belfry filled with local bats. Maybe Laszlo went up there.” “Oh, so like my darling perverted husband, to sniff out the local bordello immediately upon arrival. [chuckles] Could you take me to the belfry?”
gloss: A part of a large tower or steeple, specifically for containing bells.
pos: noun
examples: From the belfries far and near the funereal deathbell tolled unceasingly while all around the gloomy precincts rolled the ominous warning of a hundred muffled drums punctuated by the hollow booming of pieces of ordnance.
gloss: A shed.
pos: noun
tags: dialectal
gloss: A movable tower used in sieges.
pos: noun
tags: obsolete
gloss: An alarm-tower; a watchtower possibly containing an alarm-bell.
pos: noun
tags: obsolete
Derived words: belfried
have bats in one's belfry
have bats in the belfry
Translations:
lang: Bulgarian
word: камбанария
roman: kambanarija
lang: Catalan
word: campanar
lang: Chinese Mandarin
word: 鐘樓 /钟楼
roman: zhōnglóu
lang: Danish
word: klokketårn
lang: Dutch
word: klokkentoren
lang: Dutch
word: belfort
lang: Finnish
word: kellotorni
lang: French
word: beffroi
lang: Friulian
word: cjampanîli
lang: Friulian
word: cjampanili
lang: Friulian
word: cjampanîl
lang: Friulian
word: cjampanil
lang: German
word: Glockenturm
lang: Greek
word: καμπαναριό
roman: kampanarió
lang: Greek
word: κωδωνοστάσιο
roman: kodonostásio
lang: Hungarian
word: harangtorony
lang: Irish
word: clogás
lang: Istriot
word: canpaneîl
lang: Istriot
word: canpanèil
lang: Italian
word: campanile
lang: Japanese
word: 鐘楼
roman: shōrō
lang: Macedonian
word: камбанарија
roman: kambanarija
lang: Manx
word: claggys
lang: Manx
word: thie cluig
lang: Manx
word: shamyr chluig
lang: Māori
word: pourewa pere
lang: Pannonian Rusyn
word: дзвонїца
roman: dzvonjica
lang: Polish
word: dzwonnica
lang: Portuguese
word: campanário
lang: Portuguese
word: torre sineira
lang: Romansh
word: clutger
lang: Romansh
word: clucher
lang: Russian
word: колоко́льня
roman: kolokólʹnja
lang: Spanish
word: campanil
lang: Spanish
word: campanario
lang: Spanish
word: clochel
lang: Spanish
word: espadaña
lang: Swedish
word: klocktorn
lang: Swedish
word: klockstapel
lang: Tagalog
word: batingawan
lang: Ottoman Turkish
word: چاكلق
roman: çañlık
lang: Ukrainian
word: дзвіни́ця
roman: dzvinýcja
lang: Venetan
word: canpanil
lang: Venetan
word: canpanile
lang: Venetan
word: canpanièl
lang: Venetan
word: canpaniłe
lang: Welsh
word: clochdy