Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A Spanish palace or fortress, originally one built by the Moors.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun In Spain, a fortress; a castle; also, a royal palace, even when not fortified.
  • noun A name given to certain places of amusement in France and elsewhere, particularly when decorated in the Moorish style.
  • noun Nautical, the quarter-deck.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun A fortress; also, a royal palace.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A Moorish fortress in Spain

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun any of various Spanish fortresses or palaces built by the Moors

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Spanish alcázar, from Arabic al-qaṣr : al-, the + qaṣr, castle (from Latin castra, fort, pl. of castrum, camp; see kes- in Indo-European roots).]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Spanish alcázar, from Arabic القصر (al-qaṣr, "the castle").

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word alcazar.

Examples

  • Here we start from Mérida, where the Roman-Moorish 'alcazar' towers proudly yet.

    Life in Morocco and Glimpses Beyond Budgett Meakin 1886

  • The ruins of a Moorish alcazar or citadel crown a rocky mound which rises out of the centre of the town.

    The Alhambra 2002

  • The ruins of a Moorish alcazar or citadel crown a rocky mound which rises out of the centre of the town.

    The Alhambra 2002

  • Now let your worships turn your eyes to that tower that appears there, which is supposed to be one of the towers of the alcazar of Saragossa, now called the now called the Aljaferia; that lady who appears on that balcony dressed in Moorish fashion is the peerless Melisendra, for many a time she used to gaze from thence upon the road to France, and seek consolation in her captivity by thinking of Paris and her husband.

    Don Quixote 2002

  • A fortress first, the original structure was turned by Peter the Cruel, a lover of fine architecture, into a royal castle, or alcazar, as it was then called, the word being borrowed from the Arabic.

    Lippincott's Magazine of Popular Literature and Science Volume 12, No. 28, July, 1873 Various

  • In the courtyard of the alcazar, he summoned Sancho Nunes and a half-dozen men-at-arms to attend him, mounted a charger and with Emigio Moniz at his side and the others following, he rode out across the draw-bridge into the open space that was thronged with the clamant inhabitants of the stricken city.

    The Historical Nights' Entertainment Second Series Rafael Sabatini 1912

  • On landing, the army hailed him as the true victor of Oran, a wave of acclamations following him as he advanced to the alcazar, where the keys of the fortress were put into his hands.

    Historical Tales - The Romance of Reality - Volume VII Charles Morris 1877

  • Landing at Barcelona, Francis was taken to Madrid and lodged in the alcazar, under the most vigilant guard.

    Historical Tales - The Romance of Reality - Volume VII Charles Morris 1877

  • No sooner were the arrests of Egmont and Horn known in Madrid, than Montigny was deprived of his liberty, and closely confined in the alcazar of

    The Rise of the Dutch Republic — Complete (1555-84) John Lothrop Motley 1845

  • No sooner were the arrests of Egmont and Horn known in Madrid, than Montigny was deprived of his liberty, and closely confined in the alcazar of

    The Rise of the Dutch Republic — Complete (1566-74) John Lothrop Motley 1845

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.