belfry
PRONUNCIATION:
(BEL-free) 
MEANING:
noun:
1. A bell tower; also the part of a tower where a bell is hung.
2. Head. Usually in the phrase to have bats in the belfry, meaning to be crazy.
1. A bell tower; also the part of a tower where a bell is hung.
2. Head. Usually in the phrase to have bats in the belfry, meaning to be crazy.
ETYMOLOGY:
From Old French berfrei, from High German bergan (to protect or shelter) and Old English frith (peace). Originally the term was berfrei and it was a siege tower or watchtower. Since it had bells, people began to think the term was belfry.
Ultimately from the Indo-European root bhergh- (high), which also gave us iceberg, borough, burg, burglar, bourgeois, fortify, force, bourgeois, inselberg, and sforzando. Earliest documented use: 1300.
Ultimately from the Indo-European root bhergh- (high), which also gave us iceberg, borough, burg, burglar, bourgeois, fortify, force, bourgeois, inselberg, and sforzando. Earliest documented use: 1300.
USAGE:
"I received a rap on my head accompanied by a deluge of water. I carefully examined my belfry and found out I was not dead."
Jerome A. Greene; Indian War Veterans; Savas Beatie; 2007.
Jerome A. Greene; Indian War Veterans; Savas Beatie; 2007.
No comments:
Post a Comment