kremlin

What it means

1. Slavic architecturearchitectureA fortified, central complex found in various Russian cities.

   9% of historical parks are the gardens of monasteries and kremlins (fortified centres in the towns), 8% are urban ("public") gardens and only 2% are parks on urban estates.

   1997, Council of Europe, Cultural Policy in the Russian Federation, page 107

   2 more examples

   Several cities in Russia were built around fortresses called kremlins. Russians built kremlins for defense during the Middle Ages. A kremlin was often located along a river.

   2012, Britannica Student Encyclopedia, Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc, page 87

   The centre of the kremlin usually held the prince's or voivode’s court, the cathedral, and the bishop's court. This arrangement can be seen in quite a number of 16th-century kremlins. The main street of the kremlin connected this complex with the gate leading to the marketplace.

   2012, Konstantin Nossov, Russian Fortresses 1480-1682, page 45

In a sentence

9% of historical parks are the gardens of monasteries and kremlins (fortified centres in the towns), 8% are urban ("public") gardens and only 2% are parks on urban estates.

1997, Council of Europe, Cultural Policy in the Russian Federation, page 107

Where it comes from

1. Old East Slavicкремльнъ“having a kremlin”
2. Englishkremlin

Similar forms are attested, per Vasmer's Etymological Dictionary, in earlier German Kremelin and French Cremlin, which are theorized to come from Old East Slavic кремльнъ (kremlĭnŭ, “having a kremlin”), from кремль (kremlĭ), whence Russian кремль (kremlʹ).