berfredus

Latin

FWOTD – 9 November 2022

Alternative forms

• belfredus, berefredus
• berfredum n

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈber.fre.dus/, [ˈbɛrfred̪us]

Noun

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

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

• 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