Illustration of belfry
- belfry 1
plural belfries
1
: a bell tower
especially
: one surmounting or attached to another structure
2
: a room or framework for enclosing a bell
3
: head sense 2a
batty in the belfry
Did you know?
Surprisingly, belfry does not come from bell, and early belfries did not contain bells at all. Belfry comes from the Middle English berfrey, a term for a wooden tower used in medieval sieges. The structure could be rolled up to a fortification wall so that warriors hidden inside could storm the battlements. Over time, the term was applied to other types of shelters and towers, many of which had bells in them. This association of berfrey with bell towers, seems to have influenced the dissimilation of the first r in berfrey to an l, and people began representing this pronunciation in writing with variants such as bellfray, belfrey, and belfry (the last of which has become the standard spelling). On a metaphorical note, someone who has "bats in the belfry" is insane or eccentric. This phrase is responsible for the use of bats for "insane" (as in "Are you completely bats?") and the occasional use of belfry for "head" ("He's not quite right in the belfry").
Examples of belfry in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
His penance is to pray the rosary — and then rip apart a pillow in the church belfry.
—
Will Swaim, National Review, 6 Jan. 2024
There, the thickly forested ranges perched on a shelf of cottony clouds, offering a view of the mountaintop complex modeled after 16th century Vietnamese pagodas, including a 10-story belfry, a network of stone staircases and a giant seated Buddha.
—Patrick Scott, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2023
Pamela Wright The 1897 Vergennes Opera House was built in 1897 but shuttered in 1974 because of its total disrepair (pigeons in the belfry!).
—Pamela Wright, BostonGlobe.com, 4 May 2023
In the ’50s it was replaced by an ugly, modern belfry.
—Brian T. Allen, National Review, 1 Apr. 2023
Not even in Petco’s belfry.
—Nick Canepacolumnist, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 June 2022
The presence of bats in the belfry, as a metaphor for disordered thinking, is usually taken to refer to the way bats would flutter around the upper stories of distressed churches, but a larger madness, Eklöf thinks, is responsible for their absence.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 20 Feb. 2023
Among the many looming ecological disasters that terrify us today, one that only a handful of people have contemplated as sufficiently looming and terrifying is the loss of the bats in our belfry.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 20 Feb. 2023
The church is scarred by rockets and shells, but the golden dome above its blasted belfry still gleams in the fading autumn light.
—Elena Becatoros, The Christian Science Monitor, 14 Sep. 2022
Will Swaim, National Review, 6 Jan. 2024
There, the thickly forested ranges perched on a shelf of cottony clouds, offering a view of the mountaintop complex modeled after 16th century Vietnamese pagodas, including a 10-story belfry, a network of stone staircases and a giant seated Buddha.
—Patrick Scott, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2023
Pamela Wright The 1897 Vergennes Opera House was built in 1897 but shuttered in 1974 because of its total disrepair (pigeons in the belfry!).
—Pamela Wright, BostonGlobe.com, 4 May 2023
In the ’50s it was replaced by an ugly, modern belfry.
—Brian T. Allen, National Review, 1 Apr. 2023
Not even in Petco’s belfry.
—Nick Canepacolumnist, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 June 2022
The presence of bats in the belfry, as a metaphor for disordered thinking, is usually taken to refer to the way bats would flutter around the upper stories of distressed churches, but a larger madness, Eklöf thinks, is responsible for their absence.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 20 Feb. 2023
Among the many looming ecological disasters that terrify us today, one that only a handful of people have contemplated as sufficiently looming and terrifying is the loss of the bats in our belfry.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 20 Feb. 2023
The church is scarred by rockets and shells, but the golden dome above its blasted belfry still gleams in the fading autumn light.
—Elena Becatoros, The Christian Science Monitor, 14 Sep. 2022
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'belfry.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Middle English belfrey, berfrey, bell tower, siege tower, from Anglo-French *berfrei, *belfrei, of Germanic origin (akin to Middle High German bërvrit siege tower); akin to Old High German bergan to shelter and to Old English frith peace, refuge — more at bury
First Known Use
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of belfry was
in the 15th century
Phrases Containing belfry
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Cite this Entry
“Belfry.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/belfry. Accessed 20 Apr. 2024.
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Kids Definition
belfry
noun
bel·fry
ˈbel-frē 
plural belfries
: a tower or a room in a tower for a bell or set of bells
Etymology
Middle English belfrey, berfrey "bell tower, war tower," from early French berfroi "war tower," of Germanic origin
Word Origin
In our day belfry means "bell tower"; the first syllable is a perfect match with bell, whatever -fry might mean. But in fact belfry does not derive from bell, and the original meaning of its medieval French source, berfroi, was not "bell tower," but rather "siege tower." A siege tower was a wheeled wooden structure that was pushed up to the walls of a besieged fortress to provide shelter and a base of attack for the besiegers. A variant of French berfroi that was also borrowed into English was belfroi. The resemblance of this word to Middle English belle, "bell," most likely set in motion a shift in meaning that gave belfry its current meaning.
More from Merriam-Webster on belfry
Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for belfry
Nglish: Translation of belfry for Spanish Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about belfry
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