carillon

American  

[kar-uh-lon, -luhn, kuh-ril-yuhn] / ˈkær əˌlɒn, -lən, kəˈrɪl yən /

noun

1. a set of stationary bells hung in a tower and sounded by manual or pedal action, or by machinery.

2. a set of horizontal metal plates, struck by hammers, used in the modern orchestra.

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carillon British  

/ kəˈrɪljən /

noun

1. a set of bells usually hung in a tower and played either by keys and pedals or mechanically

2. a tune played on such bells

3. an organ stop giving the effect of a bell

4. a form of celesta or keyboard glockenspiel

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verb

1. (intr) to play a carillon

Etymology

Origin of carillon

1765–75; < French: set of bells, Old French car ( e ) ignon, quarregnon < Vulgar Latin *quadriniōn-, re-formation of Late Latin quaterniōn- quaternion; presumably originally a set of four bells

Explanation

If you wake up in the morning to bells coming from a nearby church tower, the instrument that is being played is a carillon. A carillon is simply a set of bells in a tower. The Old French ancestor of this word is carignon. The car part of this word traces back to the Latin word for "four," so a carignon was a set of four bells. Today, however, a carillon can have many many bells. Though you might picture someone playing it by pulling giant strings one after another, it is usually played by a keyboard that controls the bells. Some play automatically, with notes etched into a metal roll like you might find on a player piano (also called a pianola).

Example Sentences

"If you think about it, added sugar really isn't a single substance," Dr. Alexandra DiFeliceantonio from Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at Virginia Tech Carillon told Salon by email.

From Salon • Apr. 7, 2023

During the pandemic, the Carillon invested more than $1 million in state-of-the art equipment for its 70,000-square-foot spa, creating seven wellness circuits aimed at addressing problems like stress, insomnia and back pain.

From New York Times • Mar. 7, 2023

Takeout: Carillon Kitchen at The Woodmark Hotel offers a Thanksgiving box including an oven-roasted roasted turkey with giblet-sage gravy, butternut squash Dungeness crab bisque, Yukon Gold Beecher’s Cheese whipped potatoes and more.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 14, 2022

Both of them played last Thursday at the rededication of the Netherlands Carillon in Arlington.

From Washington Post • May 11, 2022

If it is warm at all5 The Carillon will give you thought.

From Poems on Travel by Various