noun
- Plural of bastille; fortified towers or prison fortresses, especially in medieval France.
Usage: historical; often capitalized when referring to the Bastille in Paris
Examples
- The medieval bastilles dotted the French countryside as defensive structures.
- Many bastilles were converted into prisons during the later centuries.
- The storming of the Bastilles during the French Revolution became a symbol of liberation.
- Historians study the architecture of old bastilles to understand medieval fortification.
- Several bastilles still stand as monuments to France's feudal past.