belfry
(redirected from Beffroi)Also found in: Thesaurus, Encyclopedia.
bel·fry
(bĕl′frē)n. pl. bel·fries
1. A bell tower, especially one attached to a building.
2. The part of a tower or steeple in which bells are hung.
[Middle English belfrei, from Old North French belfroi, alteration of Old French berfrei, berfroi; see bhergh- in Indo-European roots.]
bel′fried adj.
Word History: The words bell and belfry seem obviously related, but in fact the bel- portion of belfry had nothing to do with bells until comparatively recently. Belfry goes back to a compound formed in the prehistoric common ancestor of the Germanic languages. It is generally agreed that the second part of this compound is the element *frij-, meaning "peace, safety." The first element is either *bergan, "to protect," which would yield a compound meaning "a defensive place of shelter," or *berg-, "a high place," which would yield a compound meaning "a high place of safety, tower." Whatever the meaning of the original Germanic source, its Old French descendant berfrei, which first meant "siege tower," came to mean "watchtower." Presumably because bells were used in these towers, the word was applied to bell towers as well. The Old North French alteration belfroi, which must have reminded Middle English speakers of their native word belle (our bell), entered Middle English with the sense "bell tower."
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
belfry
(ˈbɛlfrɪ)n, pl -fries
1. (Architecture) the part of a tower or steeple in which bells are hung
2. (Architecture) a tower or steeple. Compare campanile
3. (Architecture) the timber framework inside a tower or steeple on which bells are hung
4. (Military) (formerly) a movable tower for attacking fortifications
[C13: from Old French berfrei, of Germanic origin; compare Middle High German bercfrit fortified tower, Medieval Latin berfredus tower]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
bel•fry
(ˈbɛl fri)n., pl. -fries.
1. a bell tower either attached to a church or other building or standing apart.
2. the part of a steeple or other structure in which a bell is hung.
3. a frame of timberwork that encloses a bell.
[1225–75; Middle English belfray, berfray < Old French < Frankish; compare Middle High German ber(c)frit siegetower]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
| Noun | 1. |  belfry - a bell tower; usually stands alone unattached to a buildingbell tower - a tower that supports or shelters a bell |
| 2. |  belfry - a room (often at the top of a tower) where bells are hungbell tower - a tower that supports or shelters a bell room - an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling; "the rooms were very small but they had a nice view" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
Translations
قُبَّة جَرَس
zvonice
klokketårn
kellotorni
harangtorony
klukkuturn
varpinė
zvanu tornis
çan kulesi
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
belfry
n → Glockenstube f ? bat1
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
belfry
(ˈbelfri) – plural ˈbelfries – noun the part of a (church) tower in which bells are hung.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.