noun
belfry
BEHLF-ree
noun
1
A tower or part of a tower, usually attached to a church, that houses bells.
"The bell ringers climbed the narrow stairs to the belfry."
How to Use Belfry
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishThe part of a church tower where the bells hang.
Common mistake
The word originally had nothing to do with "bell" at all — that connection is a historical accident of spelling.
Common pairings
bats in the belfry
the church belfry
Word Forms
belfries plural
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The bell ringers climbed the narrow stairs to the _____.
Etymology
From Old French berfroi, "movable siege tower," itself from a Germanic word related to "barrow" and "peace/protection." The spelling shifted from ber- to bel- because people wrongly linked it to the word "bell."