castle

Meaning

Noun

1. A large residential building or compound that is fortified and contains many defences; in previous ages often inhabited by a nobleman or king. Also, a house or mansion with some of the architectural features of medieval castles.
2. An instance of castling.
3. (informal) A rook; a chess piece shaped like a castle tower.
4. A defense structure in shogi formed by defensive pieces surrounding the king.
5. (obsolete) A close helmet.
6. Any strong, imposing, and stately palace or mansion.
7. A small tower, as on a ship, or an elephant's back.
8. (colloquial) The wicket.

Verb

1. To house or keep in a castle.
2. To protect or separate in a similar way.
3. (obsolete) To make into a castle: to build in the form of a castle or add (real or imitation) battlements to an existing building.
4. To move the king 2 squares right or left and, in the same turn, the nearest rook to the far side of the king. The move now has special rules: the king cannot be in, go through, or end in check; the squares between the king and rook must be vacant; and neither piece may have been moved before castling.
5. To create a similar defensive position in Japanese chess through several moves.
6. To bowl a batsman with a full-length ball or yorker such that the stumps are knocked over.

Concepts

castle

rook

palace

fortress

fort

citadel

stronghold

mansion

chateau

castling

tower

city

wall

fortification

manse

castle walls

enclosure

chess piece

family name

gender

sex

surname

fastness

governor’s house

stone wall

acropolis

clink

hoosegow

nick

pen

slammer

keep

spire

steeple

chastel

alcazar

gallery

room

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈkɑːsəl/

Etymology

From Middle English castle, castel, from late Old English castel, castell (“a town, village, castle”), borrowed from Late Latin castellum (“small camp, fort”), diminutive of Latin castrum (“camp, fort, citadel, stronghold”). Doublet of cashel, castell, castellum, and château.
Parallel borrowings (from Late Latin or Old French) are Scots castel, castell (“castle”), West Frisian kastiel (“castle”), Dutch kasteel (“castle”), German Kastell (“castle”), Danish kastel (“citadel”), Swedish kastell (“citadel”), Icelandic kastali (“castle”), Welsh castell.
The Middle English word was reinforced by Anglo-Norman/Old Northern French castel, itself from Late Latin castellum (“small camp, fort”) (compare modern French château from Old French chastel). If Latin castrum (“camp, fort, citadel, stronghold”) is from Proto-Indo-European *kat- (“hut, shed”), Latin casa (“cottage, hut”) is related. Possibly related also to Gothic 𐌷𐌴𐌸𐌾𐍉 (hēþjō, “chamber”), Old English heaþor (“restraint, confinement, enclosure, prison”). See also casino, cassock.

Sentences

After nearly three years since the beginning of the rebellion , Miki castle finally surrendered .

Yet this castle has not been faring very well .

The castle also protected Kyiv from the nomads of the Great Steppe .