Plural of belfry; bell towers in churches or other buildings where large bells are hung.
From Old French 'berfrey' originally meaning a movable siege tower in medieval warfare, later applied to permanent bell towers. The word eventually became associated specifically with church architecture.
The famous phrase 'bats in the belfry' comes from the fact that belfries were dark, enclosed spaces where bats actually did live—and people jokingly said someone 'crazy' had bats living in their bell tower!
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