bailey
oxford
views updated Jun 08 2018bai·ley / ˈbālē/ •
n. (pl. -leys) the outer wall of a castle. ∎ a court enclosed by this.
The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English
bailey
oxford
views updated May 29 2018bailey. 1. External wall or defences surrounding a
keep or
motte of a medieval castle.
2. Area between the circuits of walls or defences of a castle, also called a
ward, or any court within the walls, hence
outer bailey or
inner bailey.
A Dictionary of Architecture and Landscape Architecture JAMES STEVENS CURL
bailey
oxford
views updated Jun 27 2018bailey (court within) wall surrounding castle XIII. ME.
bail(l)y, var.
baile, prob. — OF.
bail(l)e enclosed court. The
Old Bailey in London stood in the ancient ‘bailey’ of the city wall between Ludgate and Newgate.
The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology T. F. HOAD
bailey
oxford
views updated Jun 11 2018bailey the outer wall of a castle and a court enclosed by it. Recorded from Middle English, the word probably comes from Old French
baile ‘palisade, enclosure’.
The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable ELIZABETH KNOWLES
