Belfry
/ˈbɛl.fri/noun
A bell tower or a room in a tower that holds bells.
Did you know?In Middle English, belfry could mean a siege tower or watchtower before it settled into the familiar meaning of a bell tower, showing how military architecture and church life shared the same word.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*bairhtaz / *berhtaz
“bright, clear”
Old High German
OHG
bergfrid
“watchtower, fortified tower”
Old French
OF
berfrei / belfroi
“siege tower; later bell tower”
Middle English
ME
belfrey / belfry
“a tower for bells; earlier, a watchtower or siege tower”
Modern English
English
belfry
“a bell tower or bell chamber”