different between fortress vs bastille

English

Etymology

Early 14 c., from Old French forteresce, forteresse, forterece (“strong place, fortification”) [from 12th c.], variant of fortelesse, from Medieval Latin fortalitia, from Latin fortis (“strong”) (see fort) +? -itia, added to adjectives to form nouns of quality or condition. French -ess, from Latin -itia is also in words such as duress, largesse and riches. For change of medial -l- to -r- in Old French, compare orne (“elm”) from ulmus; chartre from cartula and chapitre from capitulum.

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /?f??.t??s/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?f??.t??s/
• Hyphenation: fort?ress

Noun

fortress (plural fortresses)

1. A fortified place; a large and permanent fortification, sometimes including a town; for example a fort, a castle; a stronghold; a place of defense or security.
2. (chess) A position that, if obtained by the weaker side, will prevent penetration by the opposing side, generally achieving a draw.

Synonyms

• bastion, stronghold, bulwark

Translations

See also

• fortalice, fortilice

Verb

fortress (third-person singular simple present fortresses, present participle fortressing, simple past and past participle fortressed)

1. (transitive) To furnish with a fortress or with fortresses; to guard, to fortify.

English

Alternative forms

• bastile (obsolete)

Etymology

From French bastille, from Late Latin bastilia, plural of bastile, from bastire (“to build”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): [bæ?st???], [bæ?sti??]

Noun

bastille (plural bastilles)

1. A castle tower, or fortified building; a small citadel or fortress.
2. A prison or jail.
   • 1663, Samuel Butler, Hudibras, I.2:

     Thither arriv'd, th' advent'rous Knight / And bold Squire from their Steeds alight, / At th' outward Wall, near which there stands / A Bastile, built t' imprison Hands [...].

Translations

Verb

bastille (third-person singular simple present bastilles, present participle bastilling, simple past and past participle bastilled)

1. To confine as though in a bastille; to imprison.
   • 1796–7, Mary Wollstonecraft, The Wrongs of Woman, Oxford 2009, p. 137:

     Marriage had bastilled me for life.

Anagrams

• Balliets, bile salt, listable

French

Etymology

From Medieval Latin bastilia, plural of bastile, from Medieval Latin bast?re (“to build, sew”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bas.tij/
• Rhymes: -ij

Noun

bastille f (plural bastilles)

1. fortress

Further reading

• “bastille” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).