citadel
noun /ˈsɪtədəl/, /ˈsɪtədel/
/ˈsɪtədəl/, /ˈsɪtədel/
- (in the past) a castle on high ground in or near a city where people could go when the city was being attacked
- After the Mongol invasion of 1241, a citadel was built on the hills opposite the city.
- (figurative) citadels of private economic power
Word Originmid 16th cent.: from French citadelle, or from Italian cittadella, based on Latin civitas ‘city’, from civis ‘citizen’.