castellum

[ ka-stel-uhm ]

/ kæˈstɛl əm /

Save This Word!

noun, plural cas·tel·li

[ka-stel-ahy]. /kæˈstɛl aɪ/. Archaeology.

a small isolated fortress, or one of a series of such fortresses, of the ancient Romans.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of castellum

<Latin: fortified settlement, fortress <*casterlom<*castṛlom<*castrelom, equivalent to castr(a) (neuter plural) fortified camp + *-elom diminutive suffix; see -ule, -elle

Words nearby castellum

castellated, castellated beam, castellated nut, castellatus, Castellón de la Plana, castellum, Castelnuovo-Tedesco, Castelo Branco, Castelvetro, caste mark, caster

How to use castellum in a sentence

On a jutting crag of rock, in plain view from the town below, is an ancient Roman castellum.
Italian Highways and Byways from a Motor Car|Francis Miltoun
Every castle that they took was burned and destroyed, like Sir Ingelric's castellum at Speen.
A Legend of Reading Abbey|Charles MacFarlane
In the north-east s before t is still retained—Walloon chestai (chteau, castellum), fiess (fte).
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 1 "Franciscans" to "French Language"|Various
Arrayed in the closest order, they presented to an advancing enemy the aspect of a living rampart ('quasi castellum').
Feudal England -- Historical Studies On The Eleventh And Twelfth Centuries|J.H. Round

Had he not stumbled at the outset over that 'quasi castellum', he might never have erected that 'ingenious but baseless fabric'.
Feudal England -- Historical Studies On The Eleventh And Twelfth Centuries|J.H. Round