Definify.com

Webster 1913 Edition

Castle

Cas′tle

,
Noun.
[AS.
castel
, fr. L.
castellum
, dim. of
castrum
a fortified place, castle.]
1.
A fortified residence, especially that of a prince or nobleman; a fortress.
The house of every one is to him
castle
and fortress, as well for his defense againts injury and violence, as for his repose.
Coke.
Our
castle’s
strength
Will laugh a siege to scorn.
Shakespeare
2.
Any strong, imposing, and stately mansion.
3.
A small tower, as on a ship, or an elephant's back.
4.
A piece, made to represent a castle, used in the game of chess; a rook.
Syn. – Fortress; fortification; citadel; stronghold. See
Fortress
.

Cas′tle

,
Verb.
I.
[
imp. & p. p.
Castled
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Castling
.]
(Chess)
To move the castle to the square next to king, and then the king around the castle to the square next beyond it, for the purpose of covering the king.
–
Cas′tle-buildˊing
,
Noun.

Definition 2024

Castle

Castle

See also: castle

English

Proper noun

Castle

  1. A surname​ referring to someone who lived in or worked in a castle
  2. (Britain, rail transport) Castle class, a class of steam locomotives used on the GWR

castle

castle

See also: Castle

English

A castle

Noun

castle ‎(plural castles)

  1. A large building that is fortified and contains many defences; in previous ages often inhabited by a nobleman or king.
  2. (chess) An instance of castling.
  3. (shogi) A defense structure in Japanese chess in which the king (玉) is positioned in a certain way so that it is protected by pawns (歩) and silver general(s) (銀) and/or gold general(s) (金) often with an additional knight (桂) and lance (香車).
  4. (chess, informal) A rook; a chess piece shaped like a castle tower.
  5. (obsolete) A close helmet.
    • 1786, Francis Grose, A Treatise on Ancient Armour and Weapons, p. 12,
      The castle was perhaps a figurative name for a close headpiece deduced from its enclosing and defending the head, as a castle did the whole body; or a corruption from the Old French word casquetel, a small or light helmet.
  6. (dated) Any strong, imposing, and stately mansion.
  7. (dated) A small tower, as on a ship, or an elephant's back.

Usage notes

For the chess piece, chess players prefer the term rook.

Synonyms

Derived terms

See also

Chess pieces in English · chess pieces, chessmen (see also: chess) (layout · text)
♚ ♛ ♜ ♝ ♞ ♟
king queen castle, rook bishop knight pawn
  • Appendix:Chess_pieces

Translations

Verb

castle ‎(third-person singular simple present castles, present participle castling, simple past and past participle castled)

  1. (chess) To perform the move of castling.
    • 1835, William Lewis, Chess for Beginners, London: Chapman and Hall, chapter 5, 24:
      No. 24. ¶ If your adversary make a false move, castle improperly, &c., you must take notice of such irregularity before you move, or even touch a piece, or you are no longer allowed to inflict any penalties.
  2. (cricket) To bowl a batsman with a full-length ball or yorker such that the stumps are knocked over.
    • 2009, Lightning Bolt blows over Gayle, BBC Sport:
      And the 23-year-old brought the crowd to their feet when he castled Gayle's stumps, signalling the direction of the pavilion to his friend for good measure.
    • 2011, Firdose Moonda, A day for missed hat-tricks, ESPNcricinfo:
      He bowled Vinay with a with a full, straight ball that castled off stump and then dished up a yorker that RP Singh backed away to and sent onto his stumps.

Translations

Anagrams

Etymology

From Middle English castle, castel, from Old English castel, castell ‎(“a town, village, castle”), borrowed from Late Latin castellum ‎(“small camp, fort”), diminutive of Latin castrum ‎(“camp, fort, citadel, stronghold”), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *kat- ‎(“hut, shed”). Parallel borrowings (from Late Latin or Old French) are Scots castel, castell ‎(“castle”), West Frisian kastiel ‎(“castle”), Dutch kasteel ‎(“castle”), German Kastell ‎(“castle”), Danish kastel ‎(“citadel”), Swedish kastell ‎(“citadel”), Icelandic kastali ‎(“castle”), Welsh castell. The Middle English word was reinforced by Anglo-Norman/Old Northern French castel, itself from Late Latin castellum ‎(“small camp, fort”) (compare modern French château from Old French chastel). If Latin castrum ‎(“camp, fort, citadel, stronghold”) is from Proto-Indo-European *kat- ‎(“hut, shed”), Latin casa ‎(“cottage, hut”) is related. Possibly related also to Gothic 𐌷𐌴𐌸𐌾𐍉 ‎(hēþjō, “chamber”), Old English heaþor ‎(“restraint, confinement, enclosure, prison”). See also casino, cassock.

Pronunciation

  • enPR: käs'(ə)l, IPA(key): /ˈkɑː.səl/
  • Rhymes: -ɑːsəl
  • enPR: kăs'(ə)l, IPA(key): /ˈkæ.səl/
  • Rhymes: -æsəl

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