Meanings
nounbelfry (plural belfries)
plural belfries
- architectureA 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) - architectureA 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 - dialectalA shed.
- obsoleteAn alarm-tower; a watchtower possibly containing an alarm-bell.
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Germanic*bergafriþuz
- Frankish*bergafriþu
- Late Latinberfrēdus
- Old Frenchbelfroi
- Middle Englishbelfry
- Englishbelfry
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.
More words from Middle English, Old French, Late Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian камбанария, обсадна кула
- камбанария (kambanarija)part of a large tower or steeple, specifically for containing bells
- обсадна кула (obsadna kula)moveable tower used in sieges
- наблюдателна кула (nabljudatelna kula)watchtower containing an alarm-bell
- камбанария (kambanarija)tower or steeple specifically for containing bells, especially as part of a church
Catalan campanar
- campanartower or steeple specifically for containing bells, especially as part of a church
Chinese Mandarin 攻城塔, 瞭望塔 /了望塔
- 攻城塔moveable tower used in sieges
- 瞭望塔 /了望塔watchtower containing an alarm-bell
- 鐘樓 /钟楼 (zhōnglóu)tower or steeple specifically for containing bells, especially as part of a church
Danish klokketårn
- klokketårntower or steeple specifically for containing bells, especially as part of a church
Dutch belfort, klokkentoren
- belfortwatchtower containing an alarm-bell
- klokkentorentower or steeple specifically for containing bells, especially as part of a church
- belforttower or steeple specifically for containing bells, especially as part of a church
Finnish kellotorni, piiritystorni
- kellotornipart of a large tower or steeple, specifically for containing bells
- piiritystornimoveable tower used in sieges
- kellotorniwatchtower containing an alarm-bell
- kellotornitower or steeple specifically for containing bells, especially as part of a church
French clocher, beffroi
- clocherpart of a large tower or steeple, specifically for containing bells
- beffroimoveable tower used in sieges
- beffroiwatchtower containing an alarm-bell
- beffroitower or steeple specifically for containing bells, especially as part of a church
German Glockenstube, Belagerungsturm
- Glockenstubepart of a large tower or steeple, specifically for containing bells
- Belagerungsturmmoveable tower used in sieges
- Bergfriedwatchtower containing an alarm-bell
- Glockenturmtower or steeple specifically for containing bells, especially as part of a church
Greek κωδωνοστάσιο, καμπαναριό
- κωδωνοστάσιο (kodonostásio)part of a large tower or steeple, specifically for containing bells
- καμπαναριό (kampanarió)tower or steeple specifically for containing bells, especially as part of a church
- κωδωνοστάσιο (kodonostásio)tower or steeple specifically for containing bells, especially as part of a church
Hungarian harangtorony, harangtorony
- harangtoronypart of a large tower or steeple, specifically for containing bells
- harangtoronytower or steeple specifically for containing bells, especially as part of a church
Irish clogás, clogás
- clogáspart of a large tower or steeple, specifically for containing bells
- clogástower or steeple specifically for containing bells, especially as part of a church
Italian campanile
- campaniletower or steeple specifically for containing bells, especially as part of a church
Japanese 鐘楼, 鐘楼
- 鐘楼 (shōrō)part of a large tower or steeple, specifically for containing bells
- 鐘楼 (shōrō)tower or steeple specifically for containing bells, especially as part of a church
Māori pourewa pere, pourewa pere
- pourewa perepart of a large tower or steeple, specifically for containing bells
- pourewa peretower or steeple specifically for containing bells, especially as part of a church
Norwegian Bokmål klokkerom
- klokkerompart of a large tower or steeple, specifically for containing bells
Polish dzwonnica
- dzwonnicatower or steeple specifically for containing bells, especially as part of a church
Portuguese campanário, campanário
- campanáriopart of a large tower or steeple, specifically for containing bells
- campanáriotower or steeple specifically for containing bells, especially as part of a church
- torre sineiratower or steeple specifically for containing bells, especially as part of a church
Russian колоко́льня
- колоко́льня (kolokólʹnja)tower or steeple specifically for containing bells, especially as part of a church
Spanish campanario, espadaña
- campanariopart of a large tower or steeple, specifically for containing bells
- espadañapart of a large tower or steeple, specifically for containing bells
- campanilpart of a large tower or steeple, specifically for containing bells
- clochelpart of a large tower or steeple, specifically for containing bells
- campaniltower or steeple specifically for containing bells, especially as part of a church
- campanariotower or steeple specifically for containing bells, especially as part of a church
- clocheltower or steeple specifically for containing bells, especially as part of a church
- espadañatower or steeple specifically for containing bells, especially as part of a church
Swedish klocktorn, klockstapel
- klocktorntower or steeple specifically for containing bells, especially as part of a church
- klockstapeltower or steeple specifically for containing bells, especially as part of a church
Tagalog batingawan, batingawan
- batingawanpart of a large tower or steeple, specifically for containing bells
- batingawantower or steeple specifically for containing bells, especially as part of a church
Ukrainian дзвіни́ця
- дзвіни́ця (dzvinýcja)tower or steeple specifically for containing bells, especially as part of a church
Welsh clochdy
- clochdytower or steeple specifically for containing bells, especially as part of a church
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with belfry
All rhymes →Cite this entry
APA
belfry. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/belfry
MLA
“belfry.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/belfry. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “belfry,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/belfry.
Source: belfry on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.