citadel

C2 Topic:Places & Geography

US /ˈsɪtədəl/ See IPA manual

Freq #18755

Meanings

1

noun
A strong fortress that sits high above a city.

In the city’s midst the gleaming marble of a thousand steps climbed to the citadel where arose four pinnacles beckoning to heaven, and midmost between the pinnacles there stood the dome, vast, as the gods had dreamed it.
2

noun
A stronghold or fortified place.

Intrenched within the citadel of our apartment, and cheered by the comfortings of a coal fire, we passed the day in letter-writing, conversation, or gazing from the sheltered security of our windows upon the agitated sea[…].
3

noun
An armoured portion of a warship, housing important equipment.

Twenty-two of these — eleven per broadside — were on the main deck within a central citadel, essentially an armor-protected box in the middle of the ship. Also within the citadel were four 110-pdr. breech-loaders.
4

noun
a stronghold into which people could go for shelter during a battle

Thesaurus

Synonyms

4 noun · a stronghold into which... bastion

More bulwark fortress stronghold

Etymology

From French citadelle, from Italian cittadella, diminutive of città (“city”), from Latin cīvitās.

Topics

Places & Geography

External links

# citadel

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈsɪtədəl/
**Frequency rank:** 18755

## Meanings
1. A strong fortress that sits high above a city.
2. A stronghold or fortified place.
3. An armoured portion of a warship, housing important equipment.
4. a stronghold into which people could go for shelter during a battle

## Examples
- In the city’s midst the gleaming marble of a thousand steps climbed to the citadel where arose four pinnacles beckoning to heaven, and midmost between the pinnacles there stood the dome, vast, as the gods had dreamed it.
- Intrenched within the citadel of our apartment, and cheered by the comfortings of a coal fire, we passed the day in letter-writing, conversation, or gazing from the sheltered security of our windows upon the agitated sea[…].
- Twenty-two of these — eleven per broadside — were on the main deck within a central citadel, essentially an armor-protected box in the middle of the ship. Also within the citadel were four 110-pdr. breech-loaders.

## Synonyms
- bastion
- bulwark
- fortress
- stronghold

## Etymology
From French citadelle, from Italian cittadella, diminutive of città (“city”), from Latin cīvitās.

## Topics
- Places & Geography

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