citadel

[sit-uh-dl, -uh-del]

noun

1. a fortress that commands a city and is used in the control of the inhabitants and in defense during attack or siege.

2. any strongly fortified place; stronghold.

3. (formerly) a heavily armored structure on a warship, for protecting the engines, magazines, etc.

citadel

/ -ˌdɛl, ˈsɪtədəl /

noun

1. a stronghold within or close to a city

2. any strongly fortified building or place of safety; refuge

3. a specially strengthened part of the hull of a warship

4. (often capital) the headquarters of the Salvation Army

Word History and Origins

Origin of citadel¹

1580–90; < Middle French citadelle < Old Italian cittadella, equivalent to cittad ( e ) city + -ella -elle

Word History and Origins

Origin of citadel¹

C16: from Old French citadelle, from Old Italian cittadella a little city, from cittade city, from Latin cīvitās

Example Sentences

The recently opened IG Arena stands in the outer citadel of Nagoya Castle in Nagoya, Japan, which was built in the early 1600s, when samurai battles raged in the region.

From Los Angeles Times

Peru is home to many of the Americas' most significant archaeological discoveries, including the Inca citadel of Machu Picchu in the Andes and the mysterious Nazca Lines etched into the desert along the central coast.

From BBC

In both subtle and overt forms, universities are increasingly being transformed into an apparatus of white Christian nationalist indoctrination and citadels of fear.

From Salon

Marie-Laure, a blind girl hiding from the Nazis in a walled French citadel, and Werner, a young German radio expert, find themselves connecting without even knowing it.

From Los Angeles Times

For years, he threw himself long and hard against Carson’s legendary citadel of privacy and in 2002 got the first interview after Carson’s earthshaking retirement.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• bastion 
• fortification 
• fortress