Word
citadel
US/ˈsɪtəˌdɛɫ/
UK/sˈɪtədˌɛl/
Definition
n. a strong, high building or group of buildings used for protection. You use this word to describe a place that is safe and hard to attack.
n. a fortress situated on high ground, serving as a last line of defence within a city or region.
Examples
“The soldiers retreated to the citadel.”
“During the siege, the royal family took shelter in the ancient citadel overlooking the valley.”
“The crumbling citadel stood as a silent witness to centuries of conflict, its stone walls bearing the scars of countless battles.”
Examples
simple
“The soldiers retreated to the citadel.”
contextual
“During the siege, the royal family took shelter in the ancient citadel overlooking the valley.”
complex
“The crumbling citadel stood as a silent witness to centuries of conflict, its stone walls bearing the scars of countless battles.”
Real-World Examples
“Taylor will fight in front of an 80,000-strong roaring, pulsing crowd at Dublin’s Croke Park, the citadel of Irish sport, in a valedictory like no other.” Etymology
From French citadelle, from Italian cittadella, diminutive of città (“city”), from Latin cīvitās.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/citadel