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Castle vs Barbican - What's the difference?

castle | barbican |

As nouns the difference between castle and barbican

is that castle is a large building that is fortified and contains many defences; in previous ages often inhabited by a nobleman or king while barbican is a tower at the entrance to a castle or fortified town.

As a verb castle

is (chess) to perform the move of castling.

castle

English

(wikipedia castle)

Noun

(en noun)
  • A large building that is fortified and contains many defences; in previous ages often inhabited by a nobleman or king.
  • (chess) An instance of castling.
  • (chess, informal) A rook; a chess piece shaped like a castle tower.
  • (obsolete) A close helmet.
  • * 1786 , Francis Grose, A Treatise on Ancient Armour and Weapons , p. 12,
  • 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.
  • (dated) Any strong, imposing, and stately mansion.
  • (dated) A small tower, as on a ship, or an elephant's back.
  • Usage notes

    For the chess piece, chess players prefer the term rook.

    Synonyms

    * (building) fortress, keep

    Derived terms

    * build castles in the air * castellated * castle in the air * ice castle * king of the castle * sandcastle

    See also

    * *

    Verb

    (castl)
  • (chess) To perform the move of castling.
  • (cricket) To bowl a batsman with a full-length ball or yorker such that the stumps are knocked over.
  • * 2009 , Lightning Bolt blows over Gayle , BBC Sport:
  • 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.
  • * 2011 , Firdose Moonda, A day for missed hat-tricks , ESPNcricinfo:
  • He bowled Vinay with a 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.

    Anagrams

    *

    barbican

    English

    Alternative forms

    * barbacan

    Noun

    (wikipedia barbican) (en noun)
  • A tower at the entrance to a castle or fortified town
  • A fortress at the end of a bridge.
  • An opening in the wall of a fortress through which the guns are levelled; a narrow loophole through which arrows and other missiles may be shot.
  • * 1922 James Joyce, Ulysses 11:
  • Two shafts of soft daylight fell across the flagged floor from the high barbacans .
  • A temporary wooden tower built for defensive purposes.
  • See also

    * bartisan

    References

    * Samuel Johnson, Dictionary of the English Language (1766) *