bailey1
/ˈbeɪli
/noun (plural baileys)
1The outer wall of a castle.They passed by the blacksmith and toward the curtain wall of the outer bailey....
- St John's Church was built within the outer bailey of the medieval castle by Bishop Roger of Salisbury, Chancellor to King Henry I.
- Its stern-faced buildings barricade their central courtyard like the bailey walls of a Norman castle: no accident, as the great paternalist lived in fear of the mob marching on his works.
1.1A court enclosed by a bailey.Swan Yard used to be the Market Square when it was the outer bailey of Devizes Castle and as well as shops we want to have cafes and public spaces for people sit, eat and chat....
- The second main phase of use began immediately after the Norman conquest when William I constructed a motte and bailey castle in the middle of the earlier hillfort.
- Motte and bailey castles appeared in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066.
Origin
Middle English: probably from Old French baile 'palisade, enclosure' (see bail2).
Rhymes
Bailey2
/ˈbeɪli/A shipping forecast area in the NE Atlantic north of Rockall and south-west of the Faroes.