fortress

[fawr-tris]

noun

1. a large fortified place; a fort or group of forts, often including a town; citadel.

2. any place of exceptional security; stronghold.

fortress

/ ˈfɔːtrɪs /

noun

1. a large fort or fortified town

2. a place or source of refuge or support

verb

1. (tr) to protect with or as if with a fortress

Word History and Origins

Origin of fortress¹

1300–50; Middle English forteresse < Old French < Vulgar Latin *fortaricia (compare Medieval Latin fortalitia ), equivalent to Latin fort ( is ) strong + -ar-, formative of uncertain meaning +- icia -ice

Word History and Origins

Origin of fortress¹

C13: from Old French forteresse , from Medieval Latin fortalitia , from Latin fortis strong

Example Sentences

My brother had his bar mitzvah at the mountaintop fortress of Masada overlooking the Dead Sea.

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Indian prime ministers use the Mughal fortress as a backdrop for their annual Independence Day speeches.

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“Some criminals have understood that museums are not impregnable cultural fortresses,” said Pierre Noual, a French lawyer specializing in cultural heritage law.

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The Mughal fortress, which is visited by thousands of tourists each year, was built in the 17th Century and is where Indian prime ministers give their Independence Day speeches every year.

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Wales are hoping to turn the Principality Stadium back into a home fortress, having not won an international in Cardiff for 27 months.

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Related Words

• barrier 
• citadel 
• garrison 
• rampart