campanile

cam·pa·ni·le

noun \ˌkam-pə-ˈnē-lē, ˌkäm-, -(ˌ)lā, especially of US structures also -ˈnēl\

plural cam·pa·ni·les or cam·pa·ni·li\-ˈnē-lē\

Definition of CAMPANILE

: a usually freestanding bell tower

Illustration of CAMPANILE

Origin of CAMPANILE

Italian, from campana bell, from Late Latin

First Known Use: 1640

Rhymes with CAMPANILE

acetyl, airmobile, Ardabil, bearded seal, bidonville, blastocoel, bloodmobile, Bogomil, bookmobile, buffing wheel, carbon steel, chamomile, cochineal, cockatiel, color wheel, commonweal, curb appeal, cut a deal, daisy wheel, difficile, dishabille, glockenspiel, goldenseal, Guayaquil, harbor seal, idler wheel, leopard seal, manchineel, megadeal, mercantile, orange peel, package deal, paddle wheel, pedal steel, pimpmobile, planet wheel, potter's wheel, reel-to-reel, sex appeal, skimobile, snob appeal, snowmobile, spinning reel, stainless steel, tracing wheel, under heel, waterwheel

campanile

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Italian belltower, originally built beside or attached to a church. The earliest campaniles (7th–10th century) were plain round towers with a few small arched openings near the top; the Leaning Tower of Pisa is an elaborate version of this type. The Venetian form of campanile consisted of a tall, square, slim shaft, frequently tapered, with a belfry at the top, above which rose the spire, sometimes square as in the famous campanile of St. Mark's Basilica (10th–12th century, belfry story 1510). After falling out of favor during the Renaissance, the Venetian type was revived in the 19th century, often in connection with factories, housing, or collegiate buildings.