castle

Everyday

1. A large, strong building with thick walls and towers, built long ago to protect a king, queen or lord from enemies. tree →
2. A piece in chess, also called a rook. tree →
3. (verb) A special chess move with the king and a rook. tree →

In the lessons

In history lessons, castles show how people lived and fought in the Middle Ages: moats, drawbridges, towers, battlements and dungeons. In stories, castles are homes of kings, princesses and dragons. On the beach children build sandcastles. Phrases: «sandcastle», «castle walls», «build a castle».

Examples

• The castle has four towers and a moat. tree →
• Knights guarded the castle gate. tree →
• We built a sandcastle at the beach. tree →
• Many old castles are in ruins now. tree →
• The princess lived in a castle on a hill. tree →
• In chess, the castle can move in straight lines. tree →
• The castle walls were three metres thick. tree →
• The ship glided past the castle. tree →

Note

The «t» is silent: say «CAH-sul» or «KASS-ul». Countable: castles. Castle walls were thick to stop attacks, not to keep warm.

In Jewish tradition

Here it means a fortress or palace stronghold, not a medieval knight's castle. "Shushan the castle" is the Persian royal citadel, and the "castles" Judah's kings built were forts.

Interpretation. In Esther, the citadel of Shushan is where the Jews defended themselves and the royal court sat. Tradition reads it as the seat of Persian power, where Purim's reversal took place.

Examples

• And in Shushan the castle the Jews slew and destroyed five hundred men. (Writings EST.9.6, JPS 1917) tree →
• And Jehoshaphat waxed great exceedingly; and he built in Judah castles and cities of store. (Writings 2CH.17.12, JPS 1917) tree →
• Moreover he built cities in the hill-country of Judah, and in the forest he built castles and towers. (Writings 2CH.27.4, JPS 1917) tree →

Note

The «t» is silent: say «CAH-sul» or «KASS-ul». Countable: castles. Castle walls were thick to stop attacks, not to keep warm.