fortress

[ fawr-tris ]

noun

1. a large fortified place; a fort or group of forts, often including a town; citadel.
2. any place of exceptional security; stronghold.

fortress

/ ˈfɔːtrɪs /

noun

1. a large fort or fortified town
2. a place or source of refuge or support

verb

1. tr to protect with or as if with a fortress

Word History and Origins

Origin of fortress¹

1300–50; Middle English forteresse < Old French < Vulgar Latin *fortaricia (compare Medieval Latin fortalitia ), equivalent to Latin fort ( is ) strong + -ar-, formative of uncertain meaning +- icia -ice

Word History and Origins

Origin of fortress¹

C13: from Old French forteresse , from Medieval Latin fortalitia , from Latin fortis strong

Example Sentences

And the world’s media are crammed onto hotel balconies and the parks and beaches surrounding Mar-a-Lago, where security is at fortress levels.

From BBC

A fortress was needed inside the restaurant, as well.

From Los Angeles Times

People will be invited inside the walls of the famous fortress next month to see the historic White Tower transformed with moving images reflecting on the conflicts.

From BBC

To love a Scorpio, then, is to fiercely protect their softness with the same shadowy ardor that they use to construct their inner adamantine fortresses.

From Los Angeles Times

Seventy years earlier, the Enola Gay — the B-29 super fortress that dropped an atomic bomb on Japan — was built inside these walls.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• barrier
• citadel
• garrison
• rampart