Refine this word faster
Belfry
Definitions
- 1 A tower or steeple typically containing bells, especially as part of a church.
"“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?”"
- 2 a room (often at the top of a tower) where bells are hung wordnet
- 3 A part of a large tower or steeple, specifically for containing bells.
"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."
- 4 a bell tower; usually stands alone unattached to a building wordnet
- 5 A shed. dialectal
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 A movable tower used in sieges. obsolete
- 7 An alarm-tower; a watchtower possibly containing an alarm-bell. obsolete
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.
See also for "belfry"
Next best steps
Mini challenge
Unscramble this word: belfry