bastille

bas·tille

B0108300 (bă-stēl′)n. A prison; a jail.

[French, from Old French, fortress, alteration of bastide, from Old Provençal bastida, from bastir, to build, of Germanic origin.]

Bastille

(bæˈstiːl; French bastij) n (Placename) a fortress in Paris, built in the 14th century: a prison until its destruction in 1789, at the beginning of the French Revolution[C14: from Old French bastile fortress, from Old Provençal bastida, from bastir to build, of Germanic origin; see baste¹]

bas•tille

or bas•tile

(bæˈstil)

n. 1. (cap.) a fortress in Paris, used as a prison, captured by revolutionaries on July 14, 1789. 2. any prison or jail. [1350–1400; Middle English bastile < Middle French]

Bastille

A royal prison in Paris used exclusively for state prisoners.

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	Bastille - a fortress built in Paris in the 14th century and used as a prison in the 17th and 18th centuries; it was destroyed July 14, 1789 at the start of the French RevolutionFrance, French Republic - a republic in western Europe; the largest country wholly in Europecapital of France, City of Light, French capital, Paris - the capital and largest city of France; and international center of culture and commerce
	2.	bastille - a jail or prison (especially one that is run in a tyrannical manner)gaol, jail, jailhouse, pokey, poky, slammer, clink - a correctional institution used to detain persons who are in the lawful custody of the government (either accused persons awaiting trial or convicted persons serving a sentence)prison, prison house - a correctional institution where persons are confined while on trial or for punishment

Bastille

(băstēl`) [O.Fr.,=fortress], fortress and state prison in Paris, located, until its demolition (started in 1789), near the site of the present Place de la Bastille. It was begun c.1369 by Hugh Aubriot, provost of the merchants [mayor] of Paris under King Charles V. Arbitrary and secret imprisonment by lettre de cachetlettre de cachet
, formerly in French law, private, sealed document, issued as a communication from the king. Such a letter could order imprisonment or exile for an individual without recourse to courts of law.
..... Click the link for more information. gave rise to stories of horror, but actually the Bastille was generally used for persons of influence, and its regime for most political prisoners was mild. As a symbol of absolutism the Bastille was hated. It had strategic importance, for its guns commanded one of the gates of Paris. On July 14, 1789, a Parisian crowd stormed the Bastille in the hope of capturing ammunition. The governor was killed; the seven inmates, none of them political prisoners, were freed. The storming of the Bastille marks the beginning of the French RevolutionFrench Revolution,
political upheaval of world importance in France that began in 1789. Origins of the Revolution

Historians disagree in evaluating the factors that brought about the Revolution.
..... Click the link for more information. , and July 14—Bastille Day—became the national holiday of republican France.

bastille, bastile

1. A fortification or castle, frequently used as a prison. 2. A tower or bulwark in the fortifications of a town.

Bastille

Paris prison stormed on July 14, 1789. [Fr. Hist.: Worth, 21]See: Imprisonment

Bastille

a fortress in Paris, built in the 14th century: a prison until its destruction in 1789, at the beginning of the French Revolution

Bastille

noun

Words related to Bastille

noun a fortress built in Paris in the 14th century and used as a prison in the 17th and 18th centuries

Related Words

France
French Republic
capital of France
City of Light
French capital
Paris

noun a jail or prison (especially one that is run in a tyrannical manner)

Related Words

gaol
jail
jailhouse
pokey
poky
slammer
clink
prison
prison house