Nearby Words
noun, plural -fries.
Idiom1.
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 holds or encloses a bell.
4.
Slang. head; mind: a belfry full of curious notions.
5.
have bats in one's belfry. bat2 (def. 3).
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Belfries
is always a great word to know.
So is flibbertigibbet. Does it mean:
| a gadget; dingus; thingumbob. |
| a chattering or flighty, light-headed person. |
Origin:
1225–75; Middle English belfray, apparently blend of earlier berfray (< Middle French < Germanic ) and Medieval Latin belfredus, dissimilated variant of berefredus < Germanic; compare Middle High German ber(c) frit, equivalent to berc defense, protection, refuge (cognate with Old English gebeorg; see harbor) + frit peace, (place of) safety (cognate with Old English frith)
1225–75; Middle English belfray, apparently blend of earlier berfray (< Middle French < Germanic ) and Medieval Latin belfredus, dissimilated variant of berefredus < Germanic; compare Middle High German ber(c) frit, equivalent to berc defense, protection, refuge (cognate with Old English gebeorg; see harbor) + frit peace, (place of) safety (cognate with Old English frith)
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source
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Link To belfries
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
belfry
late 13c., "siege tower," from O.N.Fr. berfroi "movable siege tower" (Mod.Fr. beffroi), from M.H.G. bercfrit "protecting shelter," lit. "that which watches over peace," from bergen "to protect" + frid "peace." Originally a wooden siege tower on wheels ("free" to move); it came to be used for chime towers
EXPAND(mid-15c.), which at first often were detached from church buildings (as the Campanile on Plaza San Marco in Venice). Spelling altered by association with bell.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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