Bastille
/bæsˈtiːl/noun
A fortress or prison, especially the historic prison in Paris.
Did you know?The word ultimately traces back to a Medieval Latin/Old French term for a fortified tower, and the Bastille’s fall turned a military structure into one of history’s most powerful symbols of liberation.
Etymological Timeline
Late Latin
LL
bastita
“a fortification or tower”
Old French
OF
bastille
“a fort, fortress, or fortified building”
Middle French
MF
Bastille
“a fortress-prison in Paris”
14th Century
French
la Bastille
“the Bastille fortress-prison”
Modern English
EN
bastille
“the historic Paris prison or, more generally, a fortress-prison”