bastion
[ bas-chuhn, -tee-uhn ]
/ ˈbæs tʃən, -ti ən /
noun
Fortification.
a projecting portion of a rampart or fortification that forms an irregular pentagon attached at the base to the main work.
a fortified place.
anything seen as preserving or protecting some quality, condition, etc.: a bastion of solitude; a bastion of democracy.
Origin of bastion
1590–1600; < Middle French < Italian
bastione, equivalent to Upper Italian
bastí(a) bastion, orig., fortified, built (cognate with Italian
bastita, past participle of
bastire to build < Germanic; see
baste1) +
-one augmentative suffix
SYNONYMS FOR bastion
OTHER WORDS FROM bastion
bas·tion·ar·y [bas-chuh-ner-ee] /ˈbæs tʃəˌnɛr i/, adjective bas·tioned, adjectiveWords nearby bastion
bastille,
bastille day,
bastinade,
bastinado,
basting,
bastion,
bastnaesite,
bastogne,
bastrop,
basuto,
basutoland
Example sentences from the Web for bastion
British Dictionary definitions for bastion
bastion
/ (ˈbæstɪən) /
noun
a projecting work in a fortification designed to permit fire to the flanks along the face of the wall
any fortified place
a thing or person regarded as upholding or defending an attitude, principle, etc
the last bastion of opposition
Word Origin for bastion
C16: from French, from earlier
bastillon bastion, from
bastille
Bastille