Meanings
plural tintinnabula
- A small clinking bell, particularly (historical) a small bell used to call monks to certain tasks.
...it is worth while to enumerate the different kinds of bells named by Hieronymus Magius in his work De Tintinnabulis:—1. Tintinnabulum, a little bell, otherwise called tinniolum, for refectory or dormitory, according to Belethus, but Durandus names squilla for the refectory...
1878, Hugh Reginald Haweis, "Bell", Encyclopædia Britannica, 9th edition, Volume III, pages 536–7 - A set of bells or metal plates used as a musical instrument or as a toy.
Synonyms & antonyms
Origin
- Latintintinnābulum“a small monastic bell”
- Englishtintinnabulum
From Latin tintinnābulum (“a small monastic bell”).
More words from Latin
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
tintinnabulum. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tintinnabulum
“tintinnabulum.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tintinnabulum. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “tintinnabulum,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tintinnabulum.
Source: tintinnabulum on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.