castle

plural castles

1. A large residential building or compound that is fortified and contains many defences; in previous ages often inhabited by a nobleman or king. Also, a house or mansion with some of the architectural features of medieval castles.

   Synonyms: fortress

2. board gamesAn instance of castling.
3. informalboard gamesA rook; a chess piece shaped like a castle tower.
4. board gamesA defense structure in shogi formed by defensive pieces surrounding the king.
5. obsoleteA close helmet.

   The castle was perhaps a figurative name for a close headpiece deduced from its enclosing and defending the head, as a castle did the whole body; or a corruption from the Old French word casquetel, a small or light helmet.

   1786, Francis Grose, A Treatise on Ancient Armour and Weapons, page 12

6. datedAny strong, imposing, and stately palace or mansion.
7. datedA small tower, as on a ship, or an elephant's back.
8. colloquialball gamesThe wicket.

   Nay, he was quite an adept, and was very effective as a change bowler, for in no time he demolished the castle of any batsman.

   1966, Gurdeep Singh, Cricket in Northern India, page 59

present singular third person castles · participle present castling · participle past castled · past castled

1. transitiveTo house or keep in a castle.

   ...to encastle, to Castle.

   1611, John Florio, Queen Anna's New World of Words, s.v. "Castellare"

   1 more example

   ...Some fierce tribe, castled on the mountain-peak...

   1871, Robert Browning, Prince Hohenstiel-Schwangau, Saviour of Society, section 116

   Synonyms: castellate, incastellate

2. figurativelytransitiveTo protect or separate in a similar way.

   Castle me in the armes of thy everlasting strength.

   1655, William Gurnall, The Christian in Compleat Armour, 1st Pt., 32

3. obsoleteTo make into a castle: to build in the form of a castle or add (real or imitation) battlements to an existing building.

   Synonyms: fortify

4. intransitiveusuallyboard gamesTo move the king 2 squares right or left and, in the same turn, the nearest rook to the far side of the king. The move now has special rules: the king cannot be in, go through, or end in check; the squares between the king and rook must be vacant; and neither piece may have been moved before castling.

   If a player having the move: […] touches his/her king and a rook he/she must castle on that side if it is legal to do so

   2022, “2023 Laws of Chess”, in FIDE, page 9

   2 more examples

   He [i.e., the king] may change (or Castle) with this Rooke, that is, he may goe two draughts at once towards this Rooke... causing the Rooke to stand next to him on either side.

   1656, Gioachino Greco, translated by Francis Beale, The Royall Game of Chesse-Play, Being the Study of Biochimo, page 8

   No. 24. ¶ If your adversary make a false move, castle improperly, &c., you must take notice of such irregularity before you move, or even touch a piece, or you are no longer allowed to inflict any penalties.

   1835, William Lewis, Chess for Beginners, Ch. 5, p. 24

5. intransitiveusuallyboard gamesTo create a similar defensive position in Japanese chess through several moves.
6. ball gamesTo bowl a batsman with a full-length ball or yorker such that the stumps are knocked over.

   He bowled Vinay with a full, straight ball that castled off stump and then dished up a yorker that RP Singh backed away to and sent onto his stumps.

   2011, Firdose Moonda, “A Day for Missed Hat-tricks”, in ESPNcricinfo

   1 more example

   And the 23-year-old brought the crowd to their feet when he castled Gayle's stumps, signalling the direction of the pavilion to his friend for good measure.

   2009, “Lightning Bolt Blows Over Gayle”, in BBC Sport

plural Castles

1. countableA surname transferred from the common noun referring to someone who lived in or worked in a castle
2. UKcountableuncountablerail transportCastle class, a class of steam locomotives used on the GWR
3. countableuncountableThe first part of the name of certain nuclear tests by the US: Castle Bravo, Castle Romeo, Castle Yankee etc. See Operation Castle.
4. UKcountableuncountableDurham University slangUniversity College, Durham, a constituent college located in Durham Castle
5. A place name:
   1. countableuncountableA hamlet in Bowerchalke parish, south-west Wiltshire, England (OS grid ref SU0122).
   2. countableuncountableA community (without a council) in Cardiff, Wales; it includes Cardiff Castle.
   3. countableuncountableA community (without a council) in Swansea, Wales; it includes Swansea Castle.
   4. countableuncountableA town in Okfuskee County, Oklahoma, United States, derived from the surname.