Dictionary

belfry en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio
• /ˈbɛlfɹi/
• bĕlʹfrē

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.

Meanings

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?” 2023 August 31, William Meny & Paul Simms, “A Weekend at Morrigan Manor” (9:33 from the start), in What We Do in the Shadows, season 5, episode 9, spoken by The Guide (Kristen Schaal):
2. 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. 1922 February 2, James Joyce, “[The Cyclops]”, in Ulysses, Paris: Shakespeare and Company […], →OCLC:
3. (dialectal) A shed.
4. (obsolete) A movable tower used in sieges.
5. (obsolete) An alarm-tower; a watchtower possibly containing an alarm-bell.

Forms

Deriveds

have bats in one's belfry · belfried · have bats in the belfry

Translations (79)

de Bergfried (watchtower containing an alarm-bell) · sv klocktorn (tower or steeple specifically for containing bells, especially as part of a church) · fur cjampanili (tower or steeple specifically for containing bells, especially as part of a church) · gv shamyr chluig (tower or steeple specifically for containing bells, especially as part of a church) · ru колоко́льня (tower or steeple specifically for containing bells, especially as part of a church) · ota چاكلق (part of a large tower or steeple, specifically for containing bells) · el καμπαναριό (tower or steeple specifically for containing bells, especially as part of a church) · gv thie cluig (tower or steeple specifically for containing bells, especially as part of a church) · rsk дзвонїца (tower or steeple specifically for containing bells, especially as part of a church) · zh 攻城塔 (moveable tower used in sieges) · bg камбанария (tower or steeple specifically for containing bells, especially as part of a church) · tl batingawan (tower or steeple specifically for containing bells, especially as part of a church) · tl batingawan (part of a large tower or steeple, specifically for containing bells) · nl klokkentoren (tower or steeple specifically for containing bells, especially as part of a church) · de Glockenstube (part of a large tower or steeple, specifically for containing bells) · fi kellotorni (watchtower containing an alarm-bell) · es campanario (part of a large tower or steeple, specifically for containing bells) · sv klockstapel (tower or steeple specifically for containing bells, especially as part of a church) · fur cjampanîl (tower or steeple specifically for containing bells, especially as part of a church) · ga clogás (part of a large tower or steeple, specifically for containing bells) · ja 鐘楼 (part of a large tower or steeple, specifically for containing bells) · es clochel (part of a large tower or steeple, specifically for containing bells) · it campanile (tower or steeple specifically for containing bells, especially as part of a church) · zh 瞭望塔 /了望塔 (watchtower containing an alarm-bell) · el κωδωνοστάσιο (tower or steeple specifically for containing bells, especially as part of a church) · fi kellotorni (tower or steeple specifically for containing bells, especially as part of a church) · ist canpanèil (tower or steeple specifically for containing bells, especially as part of a church) · nl belfort (watchtower containing an alarm-bell) · fr clocher (part of a large tower or steeple, specifically for containing bells) · fr beffroi (moveable tower used in sieges) · de Glockenturm (tower or steeple specifically for containing bells, especially as part of a church) · fi piiritystorni (moveable tower used in sieges) · es campanario (tower or steeple specifically for containing bells, especially as part of a church) · bg камбанария (part of a large tower or steeple, specifically for containing bells) · nl belfort (tower or steeple specifically for containing bells, especially as part of a church) · gv claggys (tower or steeple specifically for containing bells, especially as part of a church) · bg наблюдателна кула (watchtower containing an alarm-bell) · ist canpaneîl (tower or steeple specifically for containing bells, especially as part of a church) · vec canpanile (tower or steeple specifically for containing bells, especially as part of a church) · es espadaña (part of a large tower or steeple, specifically for containing bells) · zh 鐘樓 /钟楼 (tower or steeple specifically for containing bells, especially as part of a church) · vec canpaniłe (tower or steeple specifically for containing bells, especially as part of a church) · es clochel (tower or steeple specifically for containing bells, especially as part of a church) · rm clutger (part of a large tower or steeple, specifically for containing bells) · mk камбанарија (tower or steeple specifically for containing bells, especially as part of a church) · fr beffroi (tower or steeple specifically for containing bells, especially as part of a church) · hu harangtorony (tower or steeple specifically for containing bells, especially as part of a church) · es campanil (part of a large tower or steeple, specifically for containing bells) · uk дзвіни́ця (tower or steeple specifically for containing bells, especially as part of a church) · ota چاكلق (tower or steeple specifically for containing bells, especially as part of a church) · vec canpanil (tower or steeple specifically for containing bells, especially as part of a church) · cy clochdy (tower or steeple specifically for containing bells, especially as part of a church) · da klokketårn (tower or steeple specifically for containing bells, especially as part of a church) · fur cjampanil (tower or steeple specifically for containing bells, especially as part of a church) · mi pourewa pere (tower or steeple specifically for containing bells, especially as part of a church) · es espadaña (tower or steeple specifically for containing bells, especially as part of a church) · rm clucher (tower or steeple specifically for containing bells, especially as part of a church) · fur cjampanîli (tower or steeple specifically for containing bells, especially as part of a church) · rm clutger (tower or steeple specifically for containing bells, especially as part of a church) · pl dzwonnica (tower or steeple specifically for containing bells, especially as part of a church) · rsk дзвонїца (part of a large tower or steeple, specifically for containing bells) · hu harangtorony (part of a large tower or steeple, specifically for containing bells) · mi pourewa pere (part of a large tower or steeple, specifically for containing bells) · nn klokkerom (part of a large tower or steeple, specifically for containing bells) · ga clogás (tower or steeple specifically for containing bells, especially as part of a church) · es campanil (tower or steeple specifically for containing bells, especially as part of a church) · rm clucher (part of a large tower or steeple, specifically for containing bells) · pt campanário (tower or steeple specifically for containing bells, especially as part of a church) · el κωδωνοστάσιο (part of a large tower or steeple, specifically for containing bells) · ca campanar (tower or steeple specifically for containing bells, especially as part of a church) · de Belagerungsturm (moveable tower used in sieges) · vec canpanièl (tower or steeple specifically for containing bells, especially as part of a church) · nb klokkerom (part of a large tower or steeple, specifically for containing bells) · fr beffroi (watchtower containing an alarm-bell) · ja 鐘楼 (tower or steeple specifically for containing bells, especially as part of a church) · pt torre sineira (tower or steeple specifically for containing bells, especially as part of a church) · fi kellotorni (part of a large tower or steeple, specifically for containing bells) · pt campanário (part of a large tower or steeple, specifically for containing bells) · bg обсадна кула (moveable tower used in sieges)