castle

[ kas-uhl, kah-suhl ]
See synonyms for castle on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a fortified, usually walled residence, as of a prince or noble in feudal times.

  2. the chief and strongest part of the fortifications of a medieval city.

  1. a strongly fortified, permanently garrisoned stronghold.

  2. a large and stately residence, especially one, with high walls and towers, that imitates the form of a medieval castle.

  3. any place providing security and privacy: It may be small, but my home is my castle.

  4. Chess. the rook.

verb (used with object),cas·tled, cas·tling.
  1. to place or enclose in or as in a castle.

  2. Chess. to move (the king) in castling.

verb (used without object),cas·tled, cas·tling.Chess.
  1. to move the king two squares horizontally and bring the appropriate rook to the square the king has passed over.

  2. (of the king) to be moved in this manner.

Origin of castle

1
before 1000; Middle English, Old English castel<Latin castellumcastellum

Other words for castle

Other words from castle

  • cas·tle·like, adjective
  • un·cas·tled, adjective

Words Nearby castle

Other definitions for Castle (2 of 2)

Castle
[ kas-uhl, kah-suhl ]

noun
  1. Irene (Foote), 1893–1969, born in the U.S., and her husband and partner Vernon (Vernon Castle Blythe), 1887–1918, born in England, U.S. ballroom dancers.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use castle in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for castle

castle

/ (ˈkɑːsəl) /


noun
  1. a fortified building or set of buildings, usually permanently garrisoned, as in medieval Europe

  2. any fortified place or structure

  1. a large magnificent house, esp when the present or former home of a nobleman or prince

  2. the citadel and strongest part of the fortifications of a medieval town

  3. chess another name for rook 2

verb
  1. chess to move (the king) two squares laterally on the first rank and place the nearest rook on the square passed over by the king, either towards the king's side (castling short) or the queen's side (castling long)

Origin of castle

1
C11: from Latin castellum, diminutive of castrum fort

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012