Hypertext Webster Gateway: "castle"
From Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary (easton)
Castle
a military fortress (1 Chr. 11:7), also probably a kind of tower
used by the priests for making known anything discovered at a
distance (1 Chr. 6:54). Castles are also mentioned (Gen. 25:16)
as a kind of watch-tower, from which shepherds kept watch over
their flocks by night. The "castle" into which the chief captain
commanded Paul to be brought was the quarters of the Roman
soldiers in the fortress of Antonia (so called by Herod after
his patron Mark Antony), which was close to the north-west
corner of the temple (Acts 21:34), which it commanded.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Castle \Cas"tle\, v. 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.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Castle \Cas"tle\, n. [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.
--Shak.
Note: Originally the medi[ae]val castle was a single strong
tower or keep, with a palisaded inclosure around it and
inferior buidings, such as stables and the like, and
surrounded by a moat; then such a keep or donjon, with
courtyards or baileys and accessory buildings of
greater elaboration a great hall and a chapel, all
surrounded by defensive walls and a moat, with a
drawbridge, etc. Afterwards the name was retained by
large dwellings that had formerly been fortresses, or
by those which replaced ancient fortresses.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
castle
n 1: a large and stately mansion [syn: {palace}]
2: a large building formerly occupied by a ruler and fortified
against attack
3: the chessman that can move any number of unoccupied squares
in a direction parallel to the sides of the chessboard
[syn: {rook}]
4: interchanging the positions of the king and a rook [syn: {castling}]
v : move the king two squares toward a rook and in the same
move the rook to the square next past the king; in chess
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