bell tower
8
3.3
- noun
- /bɛl ˈtaʊər/
:
campanario
- The large church bell swings in the semi-darkness of the bell tower.
And once it hits zero, the bell tower rings, and then all the walkers start swarming.
- And once it hits zero, the bell tower rings, and then all the walkers start swarming.
Examples
-
Beyond the bell tower of the church, we see the castle lookout tower.
Fiction book (1998) -
His classroom, high in the college bell tower, is the hottest spot on campus.
Fiction book (2001) -
Kelly, we're in the bell tower of the church.
-
Then he went to sit at the base of the bell tower facing the church.
Blog text (2) -
Let's go up the bell tower.
-
Just to be alone, but there were a lot of tourists there, so I went up into the bell tower.
-
You'll enjoy living in the bell tower, high above all Paris.
-
Less than a minute after a distant bell tower struck eleven, Harry saw the ghost again.
Fiction book (2002) -
St. Patrick's, with its Romanesque stone chancel, nave, and bell tower, was the center of much of the hamlet's life.
Fiction book (1998) -
The beautiful bell tower of the cathedral can be seen from miles away.
Synonyms
6
8.1
A tower or high part of a building where bells are kept and rung, often in a church
1
9.9
A tall bell tower near a church or standing alone
1
2.1
A tall part of a church that often has bells
How Tall
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a tall structure housing bells' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'bell' (a ringing object) with 'tower' (a tall vertical structure); the compound literally denotes a tower for bells. This noun–noun composition is a straightforward, cross-linguistically common pattern (e.g., campanile/torre de la iglesia/campanário) and follows standard English compounding rules, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily understand it.
Etymology
Bell tower comes from the simple idea of a tower built to hold a bell high above a town. Putting the bell up high made its sound travel far to 'call people', 'mark time', or 'warn of danger', so today a bell tower means a tall part of a church or building that holds bells.