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bailey

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bai⋅ley

  [bey-lee]
Use bailey in a Sentence
–noun, plural -leys.
1. the defensive wall surrounding an outer court of a castle.
2. the courtyard itself.
Also, ballium.

Origin:
1250–1300; ME, var. of bail 4
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Bai⋅ley

  [bey-lee]
–noun
1. Liberty Hyde, 1858–1954, U.S. botanist, horticulturist, and writer.
2. Nathan or Nathaniel, died 1742, English lexicographer.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To bailey
bai·ley   (bā'lē)   
n.   pl. bai·leys

  1. The outer wall of a castle.

  2. The space enclosed by this outer wall.


[Middle English bailli, from Old French baille, probably from Latin bacula, pl. of baculum, log, stick; see bacillus.]
Bai·ley   (bā'lē)   
British lexicographer whose Universal Etymological English Dictionary, first published in 1721, was used as a reference by Samuel Johnson and was the first English dictionary to treat etymology consistently.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

bailey 
"wall enclosing an outer court," 1300, baylle, of unknown origin, perhaps ultimately connected to L. bacula "sticks," on notion of "stakes, palisade fence." Old Bailey, seat of Central Criminal Court in London, was so called because it stood within the ancient bailey of the city wall. The surname Bailey usually is from O.Fr. bailli, a later form of baillif (q.v.).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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