Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. The outer wall of a castle.
- n. The space enclosed by this outer wall.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. The external wall of defense about a feudal castle (see bail); by extension, any of the circuits of wall other than a keep or donjon, that is, any line of defense other than the innermost one.
- n. As used by later writers, the outer court or base-court of a castle; by extension, any court of a defensive post used with a distinctive epithet. The inner bailey contained the stables and often the chapel, etc., and communicated directly with the keep; the outer bailey, when there were only two, more commonly contained the chapel and sometimes a tilt-yard, exercise-ground, or the like. The entranceway to a castle, after passing the defenses of the barbican, led first into the outer bailey and thence into the inner bailey; but it was usual for the keep to have also a separate communication with the exterior. [The word is still retained in some proper names, as in the Old Bailey, the seat of the central criminal court of London, so called from the ancient bailey of the city wall between Lud Gate and New Gate, within which it was situated.]
- n. Also ballium.
- n. See bailie.
Wiktionary
- n. The outer wall of a feudal castle.
- n. The space immediately within the outer wall of a castle or fortress.
- n. A prison or court of justice; -- used in certain proper names; as, the Old Bailey in London; the New Bailey in Manchester.
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. obsolete The outer wall of a feudal castle.
- n. obsolete The space immediately within the outer wall of a castle or fortress.
- n. engraving A prison or court of justice; -- used in certain proper names.
WordNet 3.0
- n. English lexicographer who was the first to treat etymology consistently; his work was used as a reference by Samuel Johnson (died in 1742)
- n. the outer defensive wall that surrounds the outer courtyard of a castle
- n. the outer courtyard of a castle
- n. United States singer (1918-1990)
Etymologies
- From Old French baile ("palisade, enclosure"). (Wiktionary)
- Middle English bailli, from Old French baille, probably from Latin bacula, pl. of baculum, log, stick; see bacillus. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“10: 28 PM jean pierre said ... its definitely one of the perks of living in england! also walking through the streets and looking up at old buildings and being convinced that old bailey is up there ...”
“It's 'bail' or 'bailey' - an anglo-saxon word meaning fortification, adopted by the Irish as 'Baile'.”
“Aussenhof means outer court, which is what the English call a bailey, so the character is called “George Bailey,” and suddenly, a Kafka short story is transformed, with mad logic, into It’s a Wonderful Life.”
“This wromgful conviction took place at the old bailey which is one of the oldest seats of judgement in the world.”
“We are also looking at the bailey which is the area within the castle walls," said Michael.”
“The call was echoed along the wall and throughout the bailey below.”
“Crystalline hyenas ran rampant through the bailey and feasted on the fallen.”
“An ogre with hairlike stone spikes topped the wall, swung his arm, and knocked five archers over, into the bailey.”
“May 28, 2010, 2: 20 pm dave lloyd says: bailey: Great analogy, DL. Of course, you realize that the oil rigstarted its current drilling during the Obama Administration, right?”
The Volokh Conspiracy » It’s Not the Crime, It’s the Cover-Up — Sestak Edition
“Or you could keep your current name, bailey, and keep inventing stuff and live in your own separate reality where little starbursts shoot out from the screen when Sarah Palin winks.”
The Volokh Conspiracy » It’s Not the Crime, It’s the Cover-Up — Sestak Edition
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘bailey’.
-
Gene Wolfe
Please contribute your favorite words from any of Gene Wolfe’s books to this prize-winning list.
In case you come across words in this list which are too commonplace to fit in, please ...gallipot, roost, badelaire, oblesque, execration, dhole, amschaspand, arctother, chalcedony, penitence, asimi, autarch and 839 more...
-
Wordsthatcouldbeusedinmyth
bicephalous, invertebrate, amaranthine, befuddle, browbeat, expurgation, bigoted, groan, telic, untoward, mummer, formalist and 17 more...
-
baby girl's names
list of potential future baby girl names.. unisex kinds too!
haley, peyton, brooke, linden, london, burberry, mercedez, ella, cori, bailey, cameron, chuck and 3 more...
-
Words That Mean Things
I found most of these words in books! That means they MUST be good.
flinders, periplus, palaver, midden, cadge, legerdemain, flense, lapidary, geas, bailey, susurration, satoris and 128 more...
-
caspermilktoast's Words
frenetic, farrago, fandango, ensemble, assay, emulsion, taut, winnow, ridonkulous, ginormous, frisson, idee fixe and 181 more...
-
theastic's Words
cellar, stalemate, wrought, opal, tyrant, squelch, squab, linen, tartan, paisley, scope, siren and 395 more...
-
Castles and Keeps
Shamelessly ripped off from this site and others (to be named hereinafter). (Fair warning: for my own edification, I may add definitions/comments from the site, but you might want to just go there ...
abutment, adulterine, allure, angle-spur, apse, arbalest, arbalestier, arbalist, arcade, arch, armoury, arrow slit and 410 more...
-
Words Covered in Faery Dust (B)
words that evoke magic, mystery, mayhem, magnificence or anything else that glimmers in the grass
balcony, bailey, baguette, bairn, balalaika, baldric, balefire, baby's breath, ballet, balm of gilead, balsam, baluster and 188 more...
-
Luck in the Shadows
Words and phrases from Lynn Flewelling's book, Luck in the Shadows.
belly, barbican, pediment, withers, hirsute, oriel, tabard, telesm, thaumaturgy, switch, spargetaction, towheaded and 125 more...
-
The Shipping Forecast
See news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6940597.stm for an explanation, franksingleton.clara.net/sea_area_changes.html and en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:UK_shipping_forecast_zones.png for maps.
southeast iceland, faeroes, fair isle, viking, north utsire, south utsire, cromarty, forth, forties, fisher, tyne, dogger and 27 more...
-
Fortification
bastion, ravelin, demilune, scarp, counterscarp, covert way, salient, hornwork, crownwork, citadel, merlon, embrasure and 15 more...
-
space
plenum, exergue, ramage, berth, lacuna, swath, hollow, gap, expanse, between, margin, spandrel and 88 more...
-
Jail Terms
Synonyms for 'jail.' Some of these shamelessly pilfered from spicolli's list: http://www.wordnik.com/lists/the-pokey-the-b...
jail, prison, can, big house, slammer, clink, pen, oubliette, cage, cooler, solitary, penitentiary and 64 more...
-
Medieval terms
A list of medieval terms
Tweets
Looking for tweets for bailey.
chained_bear Weirdnet #2...??
Defended courtyard or ward of a castle. Open area enclosed by the castle walls. Aug 24, 2008