• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Zippy Facts Logo

Zippy Facts

Interesting Random Facts

  • Animals
  • Culture
  • Firsts
  • Food
  • Geography
  • Health
  • History
  • Inventions
  • Language
  • Mythology
  • Odds
  • People
  • Religion
  • Science
  • Space
  • Universe
  • World
You are here: Home / Language / How did the belfry get its name and Where does the word “belfry” come from?

How did the belfry get its name and Where does the word “belfry” come from?

June 11, 2020 by Karen Hill

While besieging a fortified place, in the early Middle Ages, German soldiery sometimes protected themselves under the shelter of a movable wooden tower.

This protection they called a bergfrid, literally, shelter shed.

The device was soon borrowed by the armies of other countries, and the soldiers probably thought that they were still using its German name. But by the time it reached England, in the early fourteenth century, the name was spoken and written berfrey.

Within another hundred years this had become belfroy and belfrey, winding up as belfry. The name resulted from mispronunciation, for there was then no association with bells.

Along with altered name, the structure began to acquire a different military use and to become a formidable mechanism of offense.

It was made of sufficient height to enable archers, sheltered by its roof, to overlook the fortified place under siege and fire directly at persons within. But when gunpowder replaced arrows, these cumbersome wooden, towers were no longer of use in military operations.

Probably at first, then, because there was no other use for them, it was found that they did serve as excellent watchtowers, when hauled within the walls of a city. A watchman stationed within could sound an alarm upon the approach of danger. For such purposes these towers were then provided with bells.

Ultimately, as we know, the towers were attached to church buildings, sometimes erected to great heights; the bells, except at rare times of great public peril or celebration, serve only to summon the populace to worship or to announce the passing time.

Related Facts

  • Where does the phrase "bats in one's belfry" come from and What does it mean?
  • How Did Pepsi Get Its Name and Where Did the Name Pepsi Cola Come From?
  • How did America get its name and Where did the name America come from?
  • How did the fiddler crab get its name and Where did the name fiddler crab come from?
  • How Did the Chesapeake Bay Get Its Name and Where Does the Name "Chesapeake" Come From?
  • How did "daddy longlegs" get its name and Where does the name daddy longlegs come from?

Filed Under: Language

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

Previous Post: « Where does the word “berserk” come from and What does berserk mean?
Next Post: Where does the word “beggar” come from and What does it mean? »

Footer

Follow

  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • GitHub
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Medium
  • Pinterest
  • StumbleUpon
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Categories

Accomplishments Animals Culture Firsts Food Geography Health History Inventions Language Mythology Odds People Religion Science Space Universe World Your Body

About

Zippy Facts empowers the world by serving educational content that is accessible to everyone.

A tribute to growing up, zippyfacts.com showcases interesting and unusual facts about the world.

Our mission is to use technology to facilitate knowledge transfer and sharing.

Copyright © 2021 Zippy Facts

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy