καμπάνα – (kambana) bell, bell-bottoms, a fine
Obviously a borrowing from Latin, καμπάνα has several extended meanings including the flared trousers popular in the 70s, also called bell-bottoms.
In an article about the biologist, Professor Sotiris Tsiodras in www.instanews.gr the writer states “ο Σωτήρης Τσιόδρας … έκρουσε …. το καμπανάκι του κινδύνου για τον αριθμό των διασωληνωμένων.” = “Sotisris Tsiodras sounded/rang … the alarm bell on the number of intubated patients.” If the professor’s prediction is correct, a health system already barely coping with 850 intubated patients, is going to have 1,200 in ICUs in the week following Easter (3rd – 10th May). Which is very uncomfortable reading for a government that is opening the country to tourists on May 15th.
From March to May 2020, the professor appeared on TV every evening at 6pm with daily updates on the Covid situation. Since then, he has made very few appearances, probably because he is not always in complete agreement with government policy.
Returning to our word of the week, somehow, in the military, καμπάνα came to mean a punishment, and it seems to have entered civilian life meaning a fine. On April 12th there was a headline in www.voria.gr ΚΑΜΠΑΝΑ 3.000 ΕΥΡΩ ΣΕ ΚΑΦΕ ΣΤΗΝ ΤΟΥΜΠΑ ΓΙΑ ΠΕΛΑΤΕΣ ΕΞΩ ΑΠΟ ΤΟ ΜΑΓΑΖΙ = €3,000 FINE ON CAFÉ IN TOUMBA FOR HAVING CUSTOMERS OUTSIDE THE PREMISES.
The short article that follows states:
Πρόστιμο 3.000 ευρώ σε ιδιοκτήτη καφέ στην Τούμπα επέβαλαν την Κυριακή, 11 Απριλίου, οι αστυνομικές αρχές στη Θεσσαλονίκη. Στον εξωτερικό χώρο του καταστήματος βρίσκονταν τρεις πελάτες, στους οποίους επεβλήθη πρόστιμο 300 ευρώ έκαστος.
On Sunday April 11th, police in Thessaloniki fined a café owner in Toumba €3,000 for having customers outside the premises. Three customers in the outside area of the café were also fined €300 each.
The headline uses καμπάνα but the article uses the more common word πρόστιμο.
There are several other meanings of καμπάνα should one decide to delve further into the wonders of Greek.