belfry

English

Etymology

Borrowing from Old French berfrey (changed to have an l by association with bell), from Middle High German bërcvrit / bërvrit , possibly from Late Latin berefredus, borrowed from Germanic *bergfrid.

Pronunciation

• enPR: bĕlʹfrē, IPA: /ˈbɛlfri/, X-SAMPA: /"bElfri/

Noun

belfry (plural belfries)

1. (obsolete) A moveable tower used in sieges.
2. (dialectal) A shed.
3. (obsolete) An alarm-tower; a watchtower containing an alarm-bell.
4. (architecture) A tower or steeple specifically for containing bells, especially as part of a church.
5. (architecture) A part of a large tower or steeple, specifically for containing bells.
   • 1922, James Joyce, Ulysses Episode 12, The Cyclops

     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.

Derived terms

• have bats in one's belfry, have bats in the belfry

Translations

moveable tower used in sieges

• Bulgarian: обсадна кула (bg) (obsadna kula)
• Finnish: piiritystorni

• French: beffroi (fr) m

watchtower containing an alarm-bell

• Bulgarian: наблюдателна кула (bg) (nabljudatelna kula)
• Finnish: kellotorni (fi)

• French: beffroi (fr) m

tower or steeple specifically for containing bells, especially as part of a church

• Bulgarian: камбанария (bg) (kambanarija)
• Dutch: klokkentoren (nl) m
• Finnish: kellotorni (fi)
• Greek: καμπαναριό (el) (kampanario) n, κωδωνοστάσιο (el) (kodonostásio) n
• Hungarian: harangtorony (hu)
• Irish: clogás (ga) m

• Italian: campanile (it) m
• Manx: claggys (gv) m, thie cluig (gv) m, shamyr chluig (gv) f
• Romansch: clutger (rm) m (Rumantsch Grischun, Sursilvan, Sutsilvan, Surmiran), clucher (rm) m (Puter, Vallader)
• Russian: колокольня (ru) (kolokól'nja) f
• Spanish: campanil (es), campanario (es)

part of a large tower or steeple, specifically for containing bells

• Bulgarian: камбанария (bg) (kambanarija)
• Finnish: kellotorni (fi)
• Greek: κωδωνοστάσιο (el) (kodonostásio) n

• Irish: clogás (ga) m
• Romansch: clutger (rm) m (Rumantsch Grischun, Sursilvan, Sutsilvan, Surmiran), clucher (rm) m (Puter, Vallader)

References

• "Belfry" in Michael Quinion, Ballyhoo, Buckaroo, and Spuds, 2004.