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belfry

Pronunciation: /ˈbɛlfɹi/

The English word “belfry” has 5 meanings listed here.

noun

  1. A tower or steeple typically containing bells, especially as part of a church.
  2. A part of a large tower or steeple, specifically for containing bells.
  3. A shed.
  4. A movable tower used in sieges.
  5. An alarm-tower; a watchtower possibly containing an alarm-bell.

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…

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