bell cote
- noun
- UK
:
campanario
- The small village church lacks a tower but features a wooden bell cote for its single bell.
Examples
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The ancient chapel had a stone bell cote perched above its entrance.
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During restoration, workers carefully repaired the damaged bell cote on the old schoolhouse.
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The church has a beautiful bell cote on its roof.
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Many old churches feature bell cotes.
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The small village church lacks a tower but features a wooden bell cote for its single bell.
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The ancient chapel had a stone bell cote perched above its entrance.
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During restoration, workers carefully repaired the damaged bell cote on the old schoolhouse.
Synonyms
A small shelter that holds a bell on the roof or wall of a church
A small wall at the end of a roof with openings that hold bells
How Big
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound combines 'bell' (a ringing hollow object) with 'cote' (a small shelter), so a learner who knows both constituents can infer a small shelter or housing for bells. Although 'cote' is somewhat archaic/rare, the compositional logic (shelter for X) is straightforward and yields the correct meaning, making it accessible to a B1 learner who knows the words.
Etymology
Bell cote comes from the words bell and cote, where cote was an old word for a small 'shelter' or bird house. It names the little shelter on a roof that holds a bell, so today it means the small structure above a building where the bell hangs.