Latin

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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From Middle High German bervrit, bercfrit, or another Germanic cognate. Cognate with English belfry and French beffroi.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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berfredus m (genitive berfredī); second declension (Medieval Latin)

  1. wall tower
  2. siege tower
    • 1142, Orderic Vitalis, Historia Ecclesiastica, section 8.16:
      Quondam de conflictu Rodberto cum suis fugiente, insecutores armigerum quemdam fecerunt in berfredum ascendere, et a boreali plaga ignem immittere. Justo itaque Dei judicio machina combusta est [] .
      At one point, with Robert and his men having fled from battle, their pursuers made a certain squire climb onto the siege tower and start a fire on the northern side. In this way, by the righteous judgement of God, the machine [] was burned down.
  3. belfry (bell tower)

Declension

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Second-declension noun.

Case Singular Plural
Nominative berfredus berfredī
Genitive berfredī berfredōrum
Dative berfredō berfredīs
Accusative berfredum berfredōs
Ablative berfredō berfredīs
Vocative berfrede berfredī

References

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  • belfredus in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
  • berfredum in Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften (1967– ) Mittellateinisches Wörterbuch, Munich: C.H. Beck
  • Niermeyer, Jan Frederik (1976) “berfredus”, in Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden, Boston: E. J. Brill, page 97