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a large strong building with thick, high walls and towers, built in the past by kings or queens, or other important people, to defend themselves against attack 城堡；堡垒 
a medieval castle 中世纪的城堡 Windsor Castle 温莎宫。 - in/at the castle
They were invited to a banquet in the castle. 他们被邀请去城堡参加宴会。 They sought safety within the castle walls. 他们在城堡的围墙内寻找安全。
Culture castlescastlesThick walls and strong towers are characteristic features of Britain's castles. When built, they were solid buildings with few comforts, designed for the defence of a town or region. About 1 200 castles were built in the 11th and 12th centuries, but the grandest were built when Edward I was king (1272–1307). These include the castles of Caernarfon, Conwy and Harlech, all in Wales, which were built by Edward after he defeated the Welsh leader Llewelyn ap Gruffydd. Many Scottish castles were built between the 13th and 17th centuries. They were tower houses, square buildings five or six floors high with small towers on top.Few castles are now lived in. Some are museums and contain valuable old furniture and weapons; others are ruins. Many are open to the public and are popular tourist attractions.The site for a castle was very important. It needed to be on top of a hill or steep cliff, and to have a reliable source of water. The earliest fortifications, dating from the 9th century, consisted of earthen ramparts (= high banks of soil) and a stockade (= wooden fence).In the 11th century, the Normans built motte-and-bailey castles. On top of a motte, a steep bank of earth, they built a wooden tower surrounded by a palisade (= fence). Around this was a bailey (= courtyard) which was surrounded by another palisade and a ditch (= a long, narrow channel dug in the ground). Later, wooden towers were replaced with stone towers, called keeps. The tower contained accommodation for people living in the castle, a great hall where they ate meals, and often a dungeon, a room under the ground where prisoners could be kept. The Great Tower at the Tower of London, begun in 1078, is one of the earliest stone keeps.In the 13th century, wooden fences were replaced by long, high curtain walls made of stone, with battlements (= a wall with gaps in it) along the top. Walls might be 10 feet/3 metres thick. Towers were often wider at the base than at the top so that people attacking could easily be seen from above.Many castles had a strong gatehouse or a moat (= a deep, wide channel of water) which was crossed by a drawbridge that was raised and lowered by chains operated from inside the gatehouse . There was also a thick door and a portcullis, a heavy metal gate that slid down to block the entrance.The main method of attacking a castle was to fill the moat with stones and to attack the walls with battering rams (= heavy pieces of wood). Stones and balls of fire were thrown into the castle by siege engines. Attackers also dug tunnels under the walls. Defenders shot arrows from the battlements or through slit windows (= very narrow openings), or poured hot oil onto the attackers. In later times cannons were used. If the castle was strong and could not be captured, the attackers would besiege it (= remain camped outside to prevent anyone entering or leaving) until the defenders had no more food and were forced to surrender.Extra ExamplesTopics Historya2, Buildingsa2Edinburgh castle was loyally held in the queen's name. 爱丁堡城堡过去在女王的名义下得到忠实护卫。 The castle overlooks the town. 城堡俯瞰着该镇。 The castle perches on a high rock. 该城堡坐落在高高的岩石上。 The castle was held by an opposing faction. 城堡控制在反对派的手中。 They had to approach the castle through thick swamps. 他们只有通过厚厚的沼泽地才能到达城堡。 The intruder was arrested in the grounds of Windsor Castle. 闯入者在温莎城堡被捕。 The ruins of an ancient castle stand to the west of the town. 古堡的遗迹位于城西。
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- grand
- great
- magnificent
- …
- build
- fortify
- attack
- …
- perch
- stand
- overlook something
- …
- gate
- grounds
- keep
- …
- in a/the castle
- (also rook)
(in chess 国际象棋 any of the four pieces placed in the corner squares of the board at the start of the game, usually made to look like a castle 车 
Word Originlate Old English: from Anglo-Norman French and Old Northern French castel, from Latin castellum, diminutive of castrum ‘fort’.
Idioms
(build) castles in the air
(to have) plans or dreams that are not likely to happen or come true （建）空中楼阁；幻想；空想 As a child he would wander round the boatyards, building castles in the air about owning a boat one day. 当他还是个孩子的时候，他会在造船厂附近游荡，为有一天拥有一艘船而建造空中楼阁。
a man’s home is his castle (US English)
(British English an Englishman’s home is his castle)
- (saying)
a person’s home is a place where they can be private and safe and do as they like 人之住宅即其城堡；人在家中，自成一统