castle

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. A large fortified building or group of buildings with thick walls, usually dominating the surrounding country.
2. n. A fortified stronghold converted to residential use.
3. n. A large ornate building similar to or resembling a fortified stronghold.
4. n. A place of privacy, security, or refuge.
5. n. Games See rook².
6. v. Games To move the king in chess from its own square two empty squares to one side and then, in the same move, bring the rook from that side to the square immediately past the new position of the king.
7. v. To place in or as if in a castle.
8. v. Games To move (the king in chess) by castling.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. A building, or series of connected buildings, fortified for defense against an enemy; a fortified residence; a fortress. Castles, in the sense of fortified residences, were an outgrowth or institution of feudalism, and were first brought to a high pitch of strength and completeness by the Normans. In England there were few or no castles, properly speaking, till the time of William the Conqueror, after which a great many were constructed on the Norman model. At first the donjon or keep was the only part of the castle of great strength, and the other buildings in connection with it were of a more or less temporary nature. In the thirteenth century, however, the design of the castle became more fully developed, and the keep formed only the central part of a group of buildings, all supporting one another, and mutually contributing to the strength and commodiousness of the whole. The cut shows the castle of Coucy, near Laon, France, built in the thirteenth century. In the foreground is the outer bailey or esplanade, fortified, and containing a chapel, stables, and other buildings. The outer entrance to this was formed by a barbican or antemural (see plan under antemural). a is the foss, 20 yards broad; b, the gate, approached by two swing-bridges, defended by two guard-rooms, and having a double portcullis within, giving entrance to vaulted guard-rooms with sleeping-apartments, etc., above, c; d, inner bailey or courtyard; e, covered buildings for the men defending the walls or curtains; f, apartments for the family, entered by the grand staircase, g; h, great hall, with storerooms and vaults below; i, donjon or keep (the chapel is seen behind it), the strongest part of the castle, with walls of immense thickness, suited to form the last retreat of the garrison. At k is a postern leading from the donjon and communicating with an outer postern, drawbridge, etc.; l, m, n, o are the chief towers flanking the outer walls.
2. n. In heraldry, a representation of two or more towers connected by curtains, often having a gateway in one of the curtains, and always embattled. When the towers are represented with the windows and the joints between the stones of colors different from that of the wall, they are said to be masoned or windowed gules, or, or the like. When the windows are shown of the color of the field, the castle is said to be voided of the field, or sometimes ajouré. The door is called the port; if it has a portcullis, this and its color are mentioned in the blazon.
3. n. The house or mansion of a person of rank or wealth: somewhat vaguely applied, but usually to a large and more or less imposing building.
4. n. A piece made in the form of a castle, donjon, or tower, used in the game of chess; the rook.
5. n. A kind of helmet.
6. n. Nautical, a kind of fighting-tower formerly erected on war-galleys, etc., near the bow and stern, and called respectively forecastle and aftcastle. See cut under cadenas.
7. n. Synonyms See fortification.
8. In chess, to move the king from his own square two squares to the right or left, and bring the rook or castle to the square the king has passed over. Castling is allowed only when neither the king nor the castle has moved, when there is no piece between them, and when the king is not in check and does not, in castling, move over or to a square which is attacked by an enemy's man, that is, through or into check.

Wiktionary

1. n. A large building that is fortified and contains many defences; in previous ages often inhabited by a nobleman or king.
2. n. A chess piece shaped like a castle tower which is also called a rook.
3. n. A close helmet.
4. v. To perform the move of castling.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. A fortified residence, especially that of a prince or nobleman; a fortress.
2. n. Any strong, imposing, and stately mansion.
3. n. A small tower, as on a ship, or an elephant's back.
4. n. A piece, made to represent a castle, used in the game of chess; a rook.
5. v. 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.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. a large building formerly occupied by a ruler and fortified against attack
2. n. a large and stately mansion
3. v. move the king two squares toward a rook and in the same move the rook to the square next past the king
4. n. interchanging the positions of the king and a rook
5. n. (chess) the piece that can move any number of unoccupied squares in a direction parallel to the sides of the chessboard