castellum

[ka-stel-uh m]

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.

Origin of castellum

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for castellum

Historical Examples of castellum

It was then a question which word should prevail,—tour (turris), or chastel (castellum).
The Story of London
Henry B. Wheatley
I doubt whether the walls of any Roman castellum could have resisted such a ram.
My Autobiography
F. Max Mller
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
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