carillon

[ kar-uh-lon, -luhnor, especially British, kuh-ril-yuhn ]

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.

carillon

/ 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

verb

1. intr to play a carillon

Word History and Origins

Origin of carillon¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of carillon¹

C18: from French: set of bells, from Old French quarregnon, ultimately from Latin quattuor four

Example Sentences

Tied to a public dock at Carillon Point in Kirkland is one of just a few floating saunas in the United States, and the only one currently open to the public in the Evergreen State.

From Seattle Times

Charles Semowich, who plays the carillon inside the 392-foot tower at Riverside Church, said he hears occasional screeching outside his window.

From Seattle Times

El Encanto, located off Lake Washington at Carillon Point, is an attempt to revive that Seattle concept, with the backing of the investors behind Cantinetta and COMO.

From Seattle Times

"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

Or there’s the exquisite track “Silpo,” named for a Ukrainian grocery store chain, whose jingling beat derives from the cash registers: a corporate carillon of high, sharp chimes, each ringing out over the composer’s muffled, crackling percussion line.

From New York Times