Bible Encyclopedias
Semantra

Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature

(σήμαντρα , signals), wooden boards, or iron plates full of holes, which the modern Greeks use instead of bells to summon the people to church. These instruments they hold in their hands, and knock them with a hammer or mallet. The same term is sometimes applied to a bell, or a metal drum used for the same purpose.