Citadel

How to spell citadel

7 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce citadel

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does citadel mean?

1. nounA fortress, typically the strongest defensive structure protecting or commanding a city.

Citadel in a sentence

• The stone citadel on the hill once guarded the entire harbour.

• Tourists climb to the ancient citadel for a view over the old town.

Where does citadel come from?

Language of origin: Italian

Citadel reached English in the late 1500s from the French citadelle, which in turn borrowed the Italian cittadella. That Italian form was a diminutive of citt\u00e0, meaning 'city', so the word literally describes a 'little city', the compact fortified core that guarded a larger town. The ultimate source is the Latin civitas, meaning 'citizenship' or 'community of citizens', the same root that gives us 'city', 'civic', and 'civilian'. As fortification developed, the citadel became the strongpoint where defenders made their last stand and where a garrison kept watch over the population. The spelling keeps the single 't' and single 'd' of the French and Italian forms, which is the main thing to remember, since the doubled letters of the original cittadella did not survive into English.

How the word is built

• citad- (from Italian cittadella, a little city, from Latin civitas: city)
• -el (diminutive ending)