Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A fortress in a commanding position in or near a city.
- noun A stronghold or fortified place; a bulwark.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun A fortress or castle in or near a city, intended to keep the inhabitants in subjection, or, in case of a siege, to form a final refuge and point of defense: frequently used figuratively.
- noun Any strongly fortified post.
- noun Synonyms See
fortification .
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun A fortress in or near a fortified city, commanding the city and fortifications, and intended as a final point of defense.
- noun Stronghold. See
Fortress .
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun A strong
fortress that sits high above acity . - noun A
stronghold orfortified place.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun a stronghold into which people could go for shelter during a battle
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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In the original Persian text, the citadel is rendered as the Arg-i Kabul.
Connecting Histories in Afghanistan: Market Relations and State Formation on a Colonial Frontier 2008
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The citadel is warded against magical intrusion-we can't just 'pop' in and out, even if such a thing were easily possible.
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The very famous and ancient Anglo-Saxon language, whose citadel is supposed to be confined to the charmed circle over which Bow Bells presides, is just about to conquer the continent of Australia, and I am inclined to think that the people who are fighting against it are fighting against fate.
Australian Politics 1926
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The mosque in the citadel is rather disappointing.
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"I confess," replied Wallace, "that an armed citadel is not the most pleasant abode for a lady; but at present, excepting perhaps the church, it is the safest; and I would not advise your lady to remove hence, until the plain be made as free as this mountain."
The Scottish Chiefs 1875
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The citadel is under the command of the baron of Auchinleck; he, with his brave followers, being the first to hail the burning of the accursed Barns of Ayr.
The Scottish Chiefs 1875
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Its citadel is not within frail human flesh, or within the truest and noblest human heart.
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The citadel is placed on a high steep rock which completely overlooks the town, but the whole is commanded by a ridge of hills within cannon-range of the citadel.
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Those who dwell in my heart, which you call a citadel, enter by that road. "
The Puppet Crown Harold MacGrath 1901
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A fortress brigade of elite fanatics holds this citadel, which is dug into the bedrock below, and protected above with reinforced concrete, and has all around fire from machine guns, cannon, mortars, and grenade throwers housed in steel turrets.
The Niagara Front 2008
bilby commented on the word citadel
"Some young turkeys were lucky enough to find a tree which served them as a citadel against the assaults of a certain fox. He, one night, having made the round of the rampart and seen each turkey watching like a sentinel, exclaimed, 'What! These people laugh at me, do they? And do they think that they alone are exempt from the common rule? No! by all the gods! no!'"
- Jean de la Fontaine, 'The Original Fables of La Fontaine'.
November 10, 2008
sionnach commented on the word citadel
Vulpine vengeance shall be ours!
Reynard the cunning shall unleash the bloodtide of his wrath and none shall be spared until the barnyard be drenched incarnadine with the slaughter dew of the gobblerfowl.
Let the meleagrine mayhem begin.
November 10, 2008
bilby commented on the word citadel
Shall we share the ending?
"The moon shining brilliantly seemed to favour the turkey folk against the fox. But he was no novice in the laying of sieges, and had recourse to his bag of rascally tricks. He pretended to climb the tree; stood upon his hind legs; counterfeited death; then came to life again. Harlequin himself could not have acted so many parts. He reared his tail and made it gleam in the moonshine, and practised a hundred other pleasantries, during which no turkey could have dared to go to sleep. The enemy tired them out at last by keeping their eyes fixed upon him. The poor birds became dazed. One lost its balance and fell. Reynard put it by. Then another fell and was caught and laid on one side. Nearly half of them at length succumbed and were taken off to the fox's larder.
To concentrate too much attention upon a danger may cause us to tumble into it."
November 10, 2008
sionnach commented on the word citadel
I was just going to lure them into Les's helicopter for a little flight around the mall.
November 10, 2008