château

or cha·teau

[sha-toh; French shah-toh]

noun, plural châ·teaux [sha-tohz; French shah-toh] /ʃæˈtoʊz; French ʃɑˈtoʊ/, châ·teaus.

(in France) a castle or fortress.

a stately residence imitating a distinctively French castle.

a country estate, especially a fine one, in France or elsewhere on the Continent.

(often initial capital letter) a winegrower's estate, especially in the Bordeaux region of France: often used as part of the name of a wine.

Origin of château

1730–40; < French ≪ Latin castellum castellum

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

Related Words for chateaux

mansion, castle, villa, manor, estate

Examples from the Web for chateaux

Contemporary Examples of chateaux

Nevers is a revelation for us both, a wonderful town nestled on the Loire and bursting with cathedrals, chateaux and history.
Discovering The Charms Of La France Profonde
Emma Woolf
June 9, 2014
They make up a two-book set with recipes from all 85 Relais Chateaux chefs in North America.
Fresh Picks
Daniel Boulud
November 17, 2010

Historical Examples of chateaux

Chateaux have been going up in smoke during the last fortnight.
Scaramouche
Rafael Sabatini
France is summed up to him in Paris and in the chateaux of outlying districts.
Italy, the Magic Land
Lilian Whiting
If we could defeat them, we should save your chateaux and farms from fire and ruin.
Saint Bartholomew's Eve
G. A. Henty
I have seen no chateaux or anything of that sort about here.
Letters of Lt.-Col. George Brenton Laurie
George Brenton Laurie
Many and many a time she had read descriptions of French chateaux—ah, that was it!
Lucile Triumphant
Elizabeth M. Duffield

British Dictionary definitions for chateaux

chateau

chteau

noun plural -teaux (-təʊ, -təʊz, French -to) or -teaus

a country house, castle, or manor house, esp in France

(in Quebec) the residence of a seigneur or (formerly) a governor

(in the name of a wine) estate or vineyard

Word Origin for chateau

C18: from French, from Old French chastel, from Latin castellum fortress, castle

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 chateaux

chateau

c.1739, from French château, from Old French chastel (12c.), from Latin castellum "castle" (see castle (n.)).