castle

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   A large strong building with thick walls, built in the past to defend against attack.

   They visited a medieval castle on the hilltop.

2. 2
   noun

   A chess piece, shaped like a tower, that moves in straight lines; also called a rook.

   He took my castle on the third move.

3. 3
   verb

   In chess, to move the king two squares toward a rook and the rook to the other side of the king in a single move.

   She decided to castle early to keep her king safe.

From Middle English castle, castel, from late Old English castel, castell (“a town, village”), 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 late Old English word was borrowed from biblical L…

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