clocher

bell tower, steeple

“Il y avait à Portofino / un vieux clocher qui s'ennuyait / de ne sonner que les matines / quand Portofino se réveillait.” — There was in Portofino / an old bell tower which was bored / of only ringing in the morning / when Portofino was waking up.

Related: esprit de clocher, querelle de clocher

From cloche (“bell”) + -er.

to ring a bell

From cloche + -er.

to limp; to wobble; to be wrong

“Il y a quelque chose qui cloche.” — There's something wrong.

Inherited from Vulgar Latin *cloppicāre (from cloppus), which displaced Classical claudicāre.