fort

[fawrt, fohrt]
noun
1.
a strong or fortified place occupied by troops and usually surrounded by walls, ditches, and other defensive works; a fortress; fortification.
2.
any permanent army post.
3.
(formerly) a trading post.
4.
hold the fort,
a.
to defend one's position against attack or criticism.
b.
to maintain the existing state of affairs.

Origin:
1550–60; < Middle French, noun use of adj. fort strong < Latin fortis

fort, forte (see pronunciation note at forte).
00:10
Fort is always a great word to know.
So is slumgullion. Does it mean:
a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc.
a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare.
Dictionary.com Unabridged

fort.

2.
fortified.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
fort (fɔːt) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
n
1.  a fortified enclosure, building, or position able to be defended against an enemy
2.  informal hold the fort to maintain or guard something temporarily
 
[C15: from Old French, from fort (adj) strong, from Latin fortis]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

fort
1557, from M.Fr. fort, noun use of O.Fr. fort (adj.) "strong, fortified," from L. fortis "strong," from O.Latin forctus, from PIE base *bheregh- "high, elevated" (cf. Skt. brmhati "strengthens, elevates," O.H.G. berg "hill").
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Abbreviations & Acronyms
fort.
  1. fortification

  2. fortified

The American Heritage® Abbreviations Dictionary, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases

fort

see hold the fort.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Example sentences
Two more unsuspecting adults infected with the joy of crawling through a cardboard fort with a band of life-size puppets.
Max knew that a bunk bed was the perfect structure to use when building an indoor fort.
It is a play fort built among the trees, so let's split the difference and call it a tree fort.
We get satisfied investors with protection concepts fort hem and with adequate insurance solutions of our partners.
Idioms & Phrases
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