Adjacent Words

Tower definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

TOW'ER, n. [L. turris.]
1. A building, either round or square, raised to a considerable elevation and consisting of several stories. When towers are erected with other buildings, as they usually are, they rise above the main edifice. They are generally flat on the top, and thus differ from steeples or spires. Before the invention of guns, places were fortified with towers and attacked with movable towers mounted on wheels, which placed the besiegers on a level with the walls.
2. A citadel; a fortress. Psalms 61.
3. A high head dress.
4. High flight; elevation.
Tower bastion, in fortification, a small tower in the form of a bastion, with rooms or cells underneath for men and guns.
Tower of London, a citadel containing an arsenal. It is also a palace where the kings of England have sometimes lodged.
TOW'ER, v.i. To rise and fly high; to soar; to be lofty.
Sublime thoughts, which tower above the clouds.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a structure taller than its diameter; can stand alone or be attached to a larger building
2: anything that approximates the shape of a column or tower; "the test tube held a column of white powder"; "a tower of dust rose above the horizon"; "a thin pillar of smoke betrayed their campsite" [syn: column, tower, pillar]
3: a powerful small boat designed to pull or push larger ships [syn: tugboat, tug, towboat, tower] v
1: appear very large or occupy a commanding position; "The huge sculpture predominates over the fountain"; "Large shadows loomed on the canyon wall" [syn: loom, tower, predominate, hulk]

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: Middle English tour, tor, from Old English torr & Anglo-French tur, tour, both from Latin turris, from Greek tyrris, tyrsis Date: before 12th century 1. a building or structure typically higher than its diameter and high relative to its surroundings that may stand apart (as a campanile) or be attached (as a church belfry) to a larger structure and that may be fully walled in or of skeleton framework (as an observation or transmission tower) 2. a towering citadel ; fortress 3. one that provides support or protection ; bulwark <a tower of strength> 4. a personal computer case that stands in an upright position • towered adjective • towerlike adjective II. intransitive verb Date: 15th century 1. to reach or rise to a great height 2. to exhibit superior qualities ; surpass <her intellect towered over the others'>

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. & v. --n. 1 a a tall esp. square or circular structure, often part of a church, castle, etc. b a fortress etc. comprising or including a tower. c a tall structure housing machinery, apparatus, operators, etc. (cooling tower; control tower). 2 a place of defence; a protection. --v.intr. 1 (usu. foll. by above, high) reach or be high or above; be superior. 2 (of a bird) soar or hover. 3 (as towering adj.) a high, lofty (towering intellect). b violent (towering rage). Phrases and idioms: tower block a tall building containing offices or flats. tower of silence a tall open-topped structure on which Parsees place their dead. tower of strength a person who gives strong and reliable support. Derivatives: towered adj. towery adj. Etymology: OE torr, & ME tur, AF & OF tur etc., f. L turris f. Gk

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Tower Tow"er, n. [OE. tour,tor,tur, F. tour, L. turris; akin to Gr. ?; cf. W. twr a tower, Ir. tor a castle, Gael. torr a tower, castle. Cf. Tor, Turret.] 1. (Arch.) (a) A mass of building standing alone and insulated, usually higher than its diameter, but when of great size not always of that proportion. (b) A projection from a line of wall, as a fortification, for purposes of defense, as a flanker, either or the same height as the curtain wall or higher. (c) A structure appended to a larger edifice for a special purpose, as for a belfry, and then usually high in proportion to its width and to the height of the rest of the edifice; as, a church tower. 2. A citadel; a fortress; hence, a defense. Thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy. --Ps. lxi. 3. 3. A headdress of a high or towerlike form, fashionable about the end of the seventeenth century and until 1715; also, any high headdress. Lay trains of amorous intrigues In towers, and curls, and periwigs. --Hudibras. 4. High flight; elevation. [Obs.] --Johnson. Gay Lussac's tower (Chem.), a large tower or chamber used in the sulphuric acid process, to absorb (by means of concentrated acid) the spent nitrous fumes that they may be returned to the Glover's tower to be reemployed. See Sulphuric acid, under Sulphuric, and Glover's tower, below. Glover's tower (Chem.), a large tower or chamber used in the manufacture of sulphuric acid, to condense the crude acid and to deliver concentrated acid charged with nitrous fumes. These fumes, as a catalytic, effect the conversion of sulphurous to sulphuric acid. See Sulphuric acid, under Sulphuric, and Gay Lussac's tower, above. Round tower. See under Round, a. Shot tower. See under Shot. Tower bastion (Fort.), a bastion of masonry, often with chambers beneath, built at an angle of the interior polygon of some works. Tower mustard (Bot.), the cruciferous plant Arabis perfoliata. Tower of London, a collection of buildings in the eastern part of London, formerly containing a state prison, and now used as an arsenal and repository of various objects of public interest.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Tower Tow"er, v. t. To soar into. [Obs.] --Milton.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Tower Tow"er, v. i. [imp. & p. p. towered; p. pr. & vb. n. towering.] To rise and overtop other objects; to be lofty or very high; hence, to soar. On the other side an high rock towered still. --Spenser. My lord protector's hawks do tower so well. --Shak.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(towers, towering, towered) Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English. 1. A tower is a tall, narrow building, that either stands alone or forms part of another building such as a church or castle. ...an eleventh century castle with 120-foot high towers. ...the Leaning Tower of Pisa. N-COUNT; N-IN-NAMES 2. Someone or something that towers over surrounding people or things is a lot taller than they are. He stood up and towered over her... VERB: V over/above n 3. A tower is a tall structure that is used for sending radio or television signals. Troops are still in control of the television and radio tower. N-COUNT 4. A tower is the same as a tower block. ...his design for a new office tower in Frankfurt. N-COUNT 5. A tower is a tall box that contains the main parts of a computer, such as the hard disk and the drives. (COMPUTING) N-COUNT 6. see also clock tower, control tower, ivory tower 7. If you refer to someone as a tower of strength, you appreciate them because they give you a lot of help, support, and encouragement when you have problems or are in a difficult situation. Pat was a tower of strength to our whole family. PHRASE: tower inflects, v-link PHR, oft PHR to n [approval]

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

tou'-er.

See FORTIFICATION, I, 5; CITY, II, 1.

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. n. 1. Turret. 2. Citadel, fortress, castle, stronghold. 3. Minaret, spire, steeple, belfry, bell-tower, campanile. II. v. n. Soar, mount, rise.

1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue

Clipped money: they have been round the tower with it. Cant.

1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue

To overlook, to rise aloft as in a high tower.

Moby Thesaurus

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