Definition: Castle
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").
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 ðŒ·ðŒ´ðŒ¸ðŒ¾ð‰ or hēþjÅ ("chamber"), Old English heaþor ("restraint, confinement, enclosure, prison").
Noun
castle (plural castles)
- A large residential building or compound that is fortified and contains many defenses; in previous ages often inhabited by a nobleman or king. Also, a house or mansion with some of the architectural features of medieval castles.
- (chess) An instance of castling.
- (shogi) A defense structure in shogi formed by defensive pieces surrounding the king.
Verb
castle (third-person singular simple present castles, present participle castling, simple past and past participle castled)
- To house or keep in a castle.
- (figurative) To protect or separate in a similar way.
- (chess) 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.
- (shogi) To create a similar defensive position in Japanese chess through several moves.
- (cricket) To bowl a batsman with a full-length ball or yorker such that the stumps are knocked over.
Credits
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