campanile

Meaning

A bell tower (especially one that is freestanding), often associated with a church or other public building, especially in Italy.

Synonyms

belfry

bell tower

church tower

spire

steeple

Translations

campanile

campanile

torre campanaria

campanário

برج الأجراس

campaniles

campanar

κωδωνοστάσιο

Pronounced as (IPA)

/kæmpəˈniːleɪ/

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian campanile (“bell tower, belfry”), from campana (“bell”) + -ile (suffix forming nouns indicating locations that host animals or objects). Campana is derived from Late Latin and Medieval Latin campāna (“large bell used in late classical or medieval church towers or steeples; tower for such a bell, belfry, campanile”), and then either:
* traditionally regarded to be from Latin Campāna (“region of Campania, Italy”) (because bells were supposedly introduced in Christian services in Nola, a diocese of Campania, by Saint Paulinus (c. 354 – 431), though the story has been discredited), from Campānus (“relating to the region of Campania, Italy, or its inhabitants, Campanian”), from campus (“field, plain”) (from Proto-Indo-European *kh₂em- (“to bend, curve”)) + -ānus (suffix meaning ‘of or pertaining to’ forming adjectives, which are sometimes used as nouns); or
* from Ancient Greek καπάνη (kapánē, “felt helmet”) (apparently because of the similarity in shape).
The plural form campanili is derived from Italian campanili.