AskDefine | Define tintinnabulum

User Contributed Dictionary

English

Noun

tintinnabulum (plural tintinnabula)
  1. A small clinking bell.

Extensive Definition

A Tintinnabulum is a bell mounted on a pole, placed in a Roman Catholic Basilica to signify the church's link with the Pope.

History

In the Middle Ages it served the practical function of alerting the people of Rome to the approach of the Pope during papal processions.
Privacy Policy, About Us, Terms and Conditions, Contact Us
Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2
Material from Wikipedia, Wiktionary, Dict
Valid HTML 4.01 Strict, Valid CSS Level 2.1