Nearby Words

citadel

[sit-uh-dl, -uh-del] Origin

cit·a·del

[sit-uh-dl, -uh-del]
noun
1.
a fortress that commands a city and is used in the control of the inhabitants and in defense during attack or siege.
2.
any strongly fortified place; stronghold.
3.
(formerly) a heavily armored structure on a warship, for protecting the engines, magazines, etc.

Origin:
1580–90; < Middle French citadelle < Old Italian cittadella, equivalent to cittad(e) city + -ella -elle
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Citadel is always a great word to know.
So is interrobang. Does it mean:
a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question.
a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal.
Collins
World English Dictionary
citadel (ˈsɪtədəl, -ˌdɛl)
 
n
1.  a stronghold within or close to a city
2.  any strongly fortified building or place of safety; refuge
3.  a specially strengthened part of the hull of a warship
4.  (often capital) the headquarters of the Salvation Army
 
[C16: from Old French citadelle, from Old Italian cittadella a little city, from cittade city, from Latin cīvitās]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

citadel
1586, "fortress commanding a city," from It. cittadella, dim. of cittade "city," from L. civitatem (see city).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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