beffroi

French

Etymology

From Northern Old French berfroi (“movable siege tower”), from Middle High German bercfrit (“protecting shelter”, literally “that which watches over peace”), from bergen (“to protect”) + frid (“peace”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bɛ.fʁwa/ ~ /be.fʁwa/

• Audio (France (Brétigny-sur-Orge)):

  (file)

• Audio (France (Vosges)):

  (file)

Noun

beffroi m (plural beffrois)

1. belfry, bell tower

Further reading

• “beffroi”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012