Dictionary.com
definitions
  • synonyms

château

or cha·teau

[sha-toh; French shah-toh]
See more synonyms for château on Thesaurus.com
noun, plural châ·teaux [sha-tohz; French shah-toh] /ʃæˈtoʊz; French ʃɑˈtoʊ/, châ·teaus.
  1. (in France) a castle or fortress.
  2. a stately residence imitating a distinctively French castle.
  3. a country estate, especially a fine one, in France or elsewhere on the Continent.
  4. (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.
Show More

Origin of château

1730–40; < French ≪ Latin castellum castellum
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for chateaux

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

British Dictionary definitions for chateaux

chateau

chteau

noun plural -teaux (-təʊ, -təʊz, French -to) or -teaus
  1. a country house, castle, or manor house, esp in France
  2. (in Quebec) the residence of a seigneur or (formerly) a governor
  3. (in the name of a wine) estate or vineyard
Show More

Word Origin

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

n.

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

Show More
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper