Adjacent Words

castle definitions

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WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a large and stately mansion [syn: palace, castle]
2: a large building formerly occupied by a ruler and fortified against attack
3: (chess) the piece that can move any number of unoccupied squares in a direction parallel to the sides of the chessboard [syn: castle, rook]
4: interchanging the positions of the king and a rook [syn: castle, castling] v
1: move the king two squares toward a rook and in the same move the rook to the square next past the king

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: Middle English castel, from Old English, from Old French & Latin; Old French dialect (Norman-Picard) castel, from Latin castellum fortress, diminutive of castrum fortified place; perhaps akin to Latin castrare to castrate Date: before 12th century 1. a. a large fortified building or set of buildings b. a massive or imposing house 2. a retreat safe against intrusion or invasion 3. rook III II. verb (castled; castling) Date: 1587 transitive verb 1. to establish in a castle 2. to move (the chess king) in castling intransitive verb to move a chess king two squares toward a rook and in the same move the rook to the square next past the king

Britannica Concise

Medieval European stronghold, generally the fortified dwelling of the king or lord of the territory in which it stood. The castle developed rapidly in Western Europe from the 9th cent. In form it was somewhat sprawling compared to later fortified buildings. The castle's enceinte (outer wall) was surrounded by one or more moats, these being crossed by drawbridges that could be raised from the inner side. The gateway itself was heavily protected and often defended by a barbican, or watchtower. One or more baileys, or walled courtyards, surrounded the donjon. The age of the medieval castle came to an end with the increasing use of firearms in the 15th-16th cent.

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. & v. --n. 1 a a large fortified building or group of buildings; a stronghold. b a formerly fortified mansion. 2 Chess = ROOK(2). --v. Chess 1 intr. make a special move (once only in a game on each side) in which the king is moved two squares along the back rank and the nearer rook is moved to the square passed over by the king. 2 tr. move (the king) by castling. Phrases and idioms: castles in the air (or in Spain) a visionary unattainable scheme; a day-dream. Derivatives: castled adj. Etymology: AF & ONF castel, chastel f. L castellum dimin. of castrum fort

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Castle Cas"tle, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Castled; p. pr. & vb. n. Castling.] (Chess) To move the castle to the square next to king, and then the king around the castle to the square next beyond it, for the purpose of covering the king.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Castle Cas"tle, n. [AS. castel, fr. L. castellum, dim. of castrum a fortified place, castle.] 1. A fortified residence, especially that of a prince or nobleman; a fortress. The house of every one is to him castle and fortress, as well for his defense againts injury and violence, as for his repose. --Coke. Our castle's strength Will laugh a siege to scorn. --Shak. Note: Originally the medi[ae]val castle was a single strong tower or keep, with a palisaded inclosure around it and inferior buidings, such as stables and the like, and surrounded by a moat; then such a keep or donjon, with courtyards or baileys and accessory buildings of greater elaboration a great hall and a chapel, all surrounded by defensive walls and a moat, with a drawbridge, etc. Afterwards the name was retained by large dwellings that had formerly been fortresses, or by those which replaced ancient fortresses.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(castles) Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English. 1. A castle is a large building with thick, high walls. Castles were built by important people, such as kings, in former times, especially for protection during wars and battles. N-COUNT see also sand castle 2. In chess, a castle is a piece that can be moved forwards, backwards, or sideways. = rook N-COUNT

Easton's Bible Dictionary

a military fortress (1 Chr. 11:7), also probably a kind of tower used by the priests for making known anything discovered at a distance (1 Chr. 6:54). Castles are also mentioned (Gen. 25:16) as a kind of watch-tower, from which shepherds kept watch over their flocks by night. The "castle" into which the chief captain commanded Paul to be brought was the quarters of the Roman soldiers in the fortress of Antonia (so called by Herod after his patron Mark Antony), which was close to the north-west corner of the temple (Acts 21:34), which it commanded.

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

kas'-'-l.

See FORTIFICATION.

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. 1. Fortress, citadel, stronghold, fortified residence. 2. Rook (in chess).

Moby Thesaurus

acropolis, bastion, beachhead, bishop, blockhouse, bridgehead, bunker, chateau, chessman, citadel, court, donjon, fasthold, fastness, fort, fortress, garrison, garrison house, hall, hold, keep, king, knight, man, manor, mansion, martello, martello tower, mote, motte, palace, palais, palatial residence, palazzo, pawn, peel, peel tower, piece, pillbox, post, queen, rath, rook, safehold, strong point, stronghold, tower, tower of strength, villa, ward