noun · verb · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
General-American:/ˈfoɹ.tɹɪs/
General-American:/ˈfoɹ.tɹəs/
Received-Pronunciation:/ˈfɔː.tɹəs/
US:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
/ˈfɔ(ː)ɹ.tɹəs/without the horse–hoarse merger, rhotic
CMU ARPABET:F AO1 R T R AH0 S
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
A fortified place; a large and permanent fortification, sometimes including a town; for example a fort, a castle; a stronghold; a place of defense or security.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
A position that, if obtained by the weaker side, will prevent penetration by the opposing side, generally achieving a draw.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: board-games, chess, games
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
verb
Meaning 3
To furnish with a fortress or with fortresses; to guard, to fortify.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
a fortified defensive structure
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Early 14 c., from Old French forteresce, forteresse, forterece (“strong place, fortification”), variant of fortelesse, from Medieval Latin fortalitia, from Latin fortis (“strong”) (see fort) + -itia, added to adjectives to form nouns of quality or condition. French -ess, from Latin -itia is also in words such as duress, prowess, largesse and richesse. For change of medial -l- to -r- in Old French, compare orne (“elm”) from ulmus; chartre from cartula and chapitre from capitulum. First attested in the 12th century.
Across languages
Translations
156 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Ainu:
チャシ
(chashi)
— fortified place
Albanian:
kala
— fortified place
Albanian:
fortesë
— fortified place
Southern Altai:
коргон
(korgon)
— fortified place
Arabic:
قَلْعَة
(qalʕa)
— fortified place
Arabic:
حِصْن
(ḥiṣn)
— fortified place
Arabic:
قلعة
(qalʕa)
— fortified place
Armenian:
ամրոց
(amrocʻ)
— fortified place
Armenian:
բերդ
(berd)
— fortified place
Aromanian:
tsitati
— fortified place
Aromanian:
grãditã
— fortified place
Azerbaijani:
qala
— fortified place
Basque:
gotorleku
— fortified place
Belarusian:
крэ́пасць
(krépascʹ)
— fortified place
Belarusian:
фартэ́цыя
(fartécyja)
— fortified place
Belarusian:
цвердзь
(cvjerdzʹ)
— fortified place
Belarusian:
фартэ́ца
(fartéca)
— fortified place
Bengali:
দুর্গ
(durgo)
— fortified place
Bengali:
কেল্লা
(kella)
— fortified place
Bengali:
কোট
(kōṭ)
— fortified place
Bulgarian:
кре́пост
(krépost)
— fortified place
Burmese:
ခံမြို့
(hkammrui.)
— fortified place
Burmese:
ခံတပ်
(hkamtap)
— fortified place
Catalan:
fortalesa
— fortified place
Chinese Mandarin:
要塞
(yàosài)
— fortified place
Chinese Mandarin:
城堡
(chéngbǎo)
— fortified place
Chinese Mandarin:
堡壘 /堡垒
(bǎolěi)
— fortified place
Czech:
pevnost
— fortified place
Danish:
fæstning
— fortified place
Dutch:
vesting
— fortified place
Dutch:
fort
— fortified place
Dzongkha:
རྫོང
(rdzong)
— fortified place
Erzya:
кемечикудо
(kemečikudo)
— fortified place
Esperanto:
fortreso
— fortified place
Esperanto:
fortiko
— fortified place
Estonian:
kindlus
— fortified place
Finnish:
linnoitus
— fortified place
French:
forteresse
— fortified place
Galician:
forte
— fortified place
Galician:
fortaleza
— fortified place
Georgian:
ციხესიმაგრე
(cixesimagre)
— fortified place
German:
Festung
— fortified place
Gothic:
𐌱𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌲𐍃
(baurgs)
— fortified place
Greek:
φρούριο
(froúrio)
— fortified place
Ancient Greek:
φρούριον
(phroúrion)
— fortified place
Ancient Greek:
ὀχύρωμα
(okhúrōma)
— fortified place
Hebrew:
מִבְצָר
(mivtsár)
— fortified place
Hebrew:
מִשְׂגָּב
(misgáv)
— fortified place
Hebrew:
מְצוּדָה
(m'tzudá)
— fortified place
Hindi:
गढ़ी
(gaṛhī)
— fortified place
Hindi:
क़िला
(qilā)
— fortified place
Hindi:
दुर्ग
(durg)
— fortified place
Hungarian:
vár
— fortified place
Hungarian:
erőd
— fortified place
Hungarian:
erődítmény
— fortified place
Icelandic:
virki
— fortified place
Ido:
fortreso
— fortified place
Ingrian:
kreeposti
— fortified place
Irish:
dún
— fortified place
Italian:
fortezza
— fortified place
Italian:
rocca
— fortified place
Japanese:
要塞
(yōsai)
— fortified place
Japanese:
城塞
(jōsai)
— fortified place
Kalmyk:
шивә
(şivä)
— fortified place
Karakalpak:
qorg'an
— fortified place
Kazakh:
бекініс
(bekınıs)
— fortified place
Kazakh:
қамал
(qamal)
— fortified place
Khmer:
បន្ទាយ
(bɑɑbɑntiəy)
— fortified place
Korean:
요새
(yosae)
— fortified place
Korean:
성새
(seongsae)
— fortified place
Central Kurdish:
قەڵا
(qella)
— fortified place
Northern Kurdish:
birc
— fortified place
Northern Kurdish:
kelhe
— fortified place
Kyrgyz:
сепил
(sepil)
— fortified place
Kyrgyz:
коргон
(korgon)
— fortified place
Lao:
ປ້ອມ
(pǭm)
— fortified place
Lao:
ບຸລະ
(bu la)
— fortified place
Latin:
castrum
— fortified place
Latin:
castellum
— fortified place
Latin:
arx
— fortified place
Latvian:
cietoksnis
— fortified place
Lithuanian:
tvirtovė
— fortified place
Macedonian:
твр́дина
(tvŕdina)
— fortified place
Macedonian:
ка́ле
(kále)
— fortified place
Macedonian:
кре́пост
(krépost)
— fortified place
Malay:
kubu
— fortified place
Malay:
benteng
— fortified place
Maranao:
ilian
— fortified place
Mongolian:
цайз
(cajz)
— fortified place
Mongolian:
хэрэм
(xerem)
— fortified place
Classical Nahuatl:
yāōcalli
— fortified place
Norman:
fortéresse
— fortified place
Norwegian Bokmål:
festning
— fortified place
Norwegian Nynorsk:
festning
— fortified place
Occitan:
fortalesa
— fortified place
Old English:
fæsten
— fortified place
Pashto:
قلعه
(qal'á)
— fortified place
Dari:
دِژ
(diž)
— fortified place
Dari:
قَلْعَه
(qal'a)
— fortified place
Iranian Persian:
دِژ
(dež)
— fortified place
Iranian Persian:
قَلْعِه
(ġal'e)
— fortified place
Polish:
forteca
— fortified place
Polish:
twierdza
— fortified place
Polish:
warownia
— fortified place
Portuguese:
fortaleza
— fortified place
Potawatomi:
wakaigin
— fortified place
Quechua:
pukara
— fortified place
Romanian:
cetate
— fortified place
Romanian:
fortăreață
— fortified place
Russian:
кре́пость
(krépostʹ)
— fortified place
Sanskrit:
पुरा
(purā)
— fortified place
Sanskrit:
दुर्ग
(durga)
— fortified place
Sanskrit:
पुरी
(purī)
— fortified place
Scots:
fortress
— fortified place
Scottish Gaelic:
dùn
— fortified place
Serbo-Croatian:
твр̀ђава
— fortified place
Serbo-Croatian:
у̏тврда
— fortified place
Serbo-Croatian:
тврђа
— fortified place
Serbo-Croatian:
tvr̀đava
— fortified place
Serbo-Croatian:
ȕtvrda
— fortified place
Serbo-Croatian:
tvȑđa
— fortified place
Shona:
svingo
— fortified place
Slovak:
pevnosť
— fortified place
Slovak:
tvrdza
— fortified place
Slovene:
utrdba
— fortified place
Lower Sorbian:
grod
— fortified place
Spanish:
fortaleza
— fortified place
Swedish:
fästning
— fortified place
Tajik:
қалъа
(qal'a)
— fortified place
Tajik:
диж
(diž)
— fortified place
Tamil:
கோட்டை
(kōṭṭai)
— fortified place
Tashelhit:
ⵜⴰⴳⴰⴷⵉⵔⵜ
(tagadirt)
— fortified place
Tatar:
кальга
(qälğa)
— fortified place
Thai:
ป้อม
(bpɔ̂m)
— fortified place
Thai:
ปราการ
(bpraa-gaan)
— fortified place
Turkish:
kale
— fortified place
Turkish:
hisar
— fortified place
Ottoman Turkish:
حصار
(hisar)
— fortified place
Ottoman Turkish:
حصن
(hısn)
— fortified place
Ottoman Turkish:
قلعه
(kalʼe)
— fortified place
Ottoman Turkish:
كرمان
(kerman, kirman)
— fortified place
Ottoman Turkish:
قسطل
(kastel)
— fortified place
Turkmen:
gala
— fortified place
Ukrainian:
форте́ця
(fortécja)
— fortified place
Ukrainian:
крі́пость
(krípostʹ)
— fortified place
Ukrainian:
тверди́ня
(tverdýnja)
— fortified place