Dictionary

citadel en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈsɪtədəl/
• (US) audio
• /ˈsɪtədɛl/

Etymology

From French citadelle, from Italian cittadella, diminutive of città (“city”), from Latin cīvitās.

Meanings

1. A strong fortress that sits high above a city.
   • In the city’s midst the gleaming marble of a thousand steps climbed to the citadel where arose four pinnacles beckoning to heaven, and midmost between the pinnacles there stood the dome, vast, as the gods had dreamed it. 1906, Lord Dunsany [i.e., Edward Plunkett, 18th Baron of Dunsany], Time and the Gods, London: William Heineman, →OCLC, page 1:
2. (figuratively, sometimes) A stronghold or fortified place.
   • Intrenched within the citadel of our apartment, and cheered by the comfortings of a coal fire, we passed the day in letter-writing, conversation, or gazing from the sheltered security of our windows upon the agitated sea[…] 1836, Alexander Slidell Mackenzie, The American in England, page 269:
3. An armoured portion of a warship, housing important equipment.
   • Twenty-two of these — eleven per broadside — were on the main deck within a central citadel, essentially an armor-protected box in the middle of the ship. Also within the citadel were four 110-pdr. breech-loaders. 2000, Lincoln P. Paine, Warships of the World to 1900:
4. A Salvation Army meeting place.

Forms

Synonyms

bastion · bulwark · fortress · stronghold

Translations (90)

ar مَعْقِل (a strong fortress that sits high above a city) · uk цитаде́ль (a stronghold or fortified place) · ca ciutadella (a strong fortress that sits high above a city) · it cittadella (a stronghold or fortified place) · sh цитадела (a stronghold or fortified place) · el ακρόπολη (a strong fortress that sits high above a city) · hu fellegvár (a strong fortress that sits high above a city) · tl moog (a strong fortress that sits high above a city) · ro citadelă (a strong fortress that sits high above a city) · ja 城塞 (a stronghold or fortified place) · es ciudadela (a strong fortress that sits high above a city) · ru кре́пость (a stronghold or fortified place) · mk цитадела (a strong fortress that sits high above a city) · mi tihi (a strong fortress that sits high above a city) · tr iç kale (a strong fortress that sits high above a city) · sh citadela (a strong fortress that sits high above a city) · bg цитаде́ла (a stronghold or fortified place) · fr citadelle (a strong fortress that sits high above a city) · sh цитадела (a strong fortress that sits high above a city) · cy chadarnle (a stronghold or fortified place) · la arx (a stronghold or fortified place) · ro fortificație (a stronghold or fortified place) · grc ἀκρόπολις (a strong fortress that sits high above a city) · uk цитаде́ль (a strong fortress that sits high above a city) · de Zitadelle (a strong fortress that sits high above a city) · ar قِلْعَة (a stronghold or fortified place) · ru кре́пость (a strong fortress that sits high above a city) · ko 성채 (a strong fortress that sits high above a city) · vi thành trì (a strong fortress that sits high above a city) · sv citadell (a strong fortress that sits high above a city) · ko 성채 (a stronghold or fortified place) · ar قَلْعَة (a stronghold or fortified place) · fi sitadelli (a strong fortress that sits high above a city) · ar مَعْقِل (a stronghold or fortified place) · ka ციტადელი (a strong fortress that sits high above a city) · rup tsitati (a strong fortress that sits high above a city) · sk citadela (a stronghold or fortified place) · ca ciutadella (a stronghold or fortified place) · mk цитадела (a stronghold or fortified place) · mi toitoi (a strong fortress that sits high above a city) · la arx (a strong fortress that sits high above a city) · be цытадэ́ль (a strong fortress that sits high above a city) · ru цитаде́ль (a stronghold or fortified place) · ro citadelă (a stronghold or fortified place) · pl cytadela (a strong fortress that sits high above a city) · de Zitadelle (a stronghold or fortified place) · fa کلات (a strong fortress that sits high above a city) · pl cytadela (a stronghold or fortified place) · es alcázar (a strong fortress that sits high above a city) · cs citadela (a strong fortress that sits high above a city) · ota حصن (a stronghold or fortified place) · he מְצוּדָה (a strong fortress that sits high above a city) · be цытадэ́ль (a stronghold or fortified place) · lt citadelė (a strong fortress that sits high above a city) · ro cetate (a strong fortress that sits high above a city) · sl citadela (a strong fortress that sits high above a city) · fa ارگ (a strong fortress that sits high above a city) · ja 城塞 (a strong fortress that sits high above a city) · bg цитаде́ла (a strong fortress that sits high above a city) · sq kala (a stronghold or fortified place) · pt cidadela (a stronghold or fortified place) · fi linnoitus (a stronghold or fortified place) · sh citadela (a stronghold or fortified place) · fr citadelle (a stronghold or fortified place) · ro cetate (a stronghold or fortified place) · ota ارك (a strong fortress that sits high above a city) · hu citadella (a strong fortress that sits high above a city) · eo citadelo (a strong fortress that sits high above a city) · cmn 堡壘 /堡垒 (a strong fortress that sits high above a city) · lv citadele (a strong fortress that sits high above a city) · vi thành quách (a strong fortress that sits high above a city) · cmn 城堡 (a stronghold or fortified place) · et tsitadel (a strong fortress that sits high above a city) · nl citadel (a strong fortress that sits high above a city) · ru цитаде́ль (a strong fortress that sits high above a city) · rup grãditã (a strong fortress that sits high above a city) · hy միջնաբերդ (a strong fortress that sits high above a city) · vi thành trì (a stronghold or fortified place) · uz ark (a strong fortress that sits high above a city) · tr hisar (a stronghold or fortified place) · pt cidadela (a strong fortress that sits high above a city) · sq fortesë (a stronghold or fortified place) · fi linnake (a stronghold or fortified place) · sk citadela (a strong fortress that sits high above a city) · cs citadela (a stronghold or fortified place) · nl citadel (a stronghold or fortified place) · it cittadella (a strong fortress that sits high above a city) · eo altaĵo (a strong fortress that sits high above a city) · sl citadela (a stronghold or fortified place) · vi thành luỹ (a strong fortress that sits high above a city)