Castile

[ ka-steel ]

/ kæˈstil /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR Castile ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

Spanish Cas·ti·lla

[kahs-tee-lyah, -yah] /kɑsˈti lyɑ, -yɑ/. a former kingdom comprising most of Spain.

Also called Castile soap. a variety of mild soap, made from olive oil and sodium hydroxide.

any hard soap made from fats and oils, often partly from olive oil.

RELATED WORDS

detergent, wash, lather, suds

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

Examples from the Web for castile

Thirty feet from the door he slowed up, put on a nonchalant air, and strolling in, looked about for Castile soap.
The Financier|Theodore Dreiser
The three most important regions resulting from this act were the kingdoms of Navarre, Castile, and Aragon.
A History of Spain|Charles E. Chapman
Alphonso, the despoiled lord of León, succeeded to the throne of Castile.
The Lay of the Cid|R. Selden Rose
He finally died in Castile; and many believed that he was not an impostor.
Vine and Olive; Or Young America in Spain and Portugal|Oliver Optic

In any case it was a loan to the treasury of Castile simply.
The Discovery of America Vol. 1 (of 2)|John Fiske.

British Dictionary definitions for castile

Castile

Castilla (Spanish kasˈtiʎa)

/ (kæˈstiːl) /

noun

a former kingdom comprising most of modern Spain: originally part of León, it became an independent kingdom in the 10th century and united with Aragon (1469), the first step in the formation of the Spanish state

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

Word Origin and History for castile

Castile

medieval Spanish county and later kingdom, from Vulgar Latin castilla, from Latin castella, plural of castellum "castle, fort, citadel, stronghold" (see castle (n.)); so called in reference to the many fortified places there during the Moorish wars. The name in Spanish is said to date back to c.800. Related: Castilian. As a fine kind of soap, in English from 1610s.