Castellan
noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 A feudal lord with a fortified manor. obsolete
- 2 The governor or caretaker entrusted to oversee a castle or keep for its lord. historical
"The inferior secular senators are ninety-two, containing the ten crown-officers, and eighty-two castellans. The latter are again divided into thirty-three great castellans, and forty-nine little castellans."
Example
More examples"The inferior secular senators are ninety-two, containing the ten crown-officers, and eighty-two castellans. The latter are again divided into thirty-three great castellans, and forty-nine little castellans."
Etymology
From Middle English castelain, from Old French castelain (compare modern châtelain), from Latin castellanus (“pertaining to a castle, an occupant of a castle, or a governor of a castle”), from castellum castle, citadel, diminutive of castrum fortified place. See castle. Doublet of Castilian, castellano, castellanus, and chatelain and compare chatelaine.
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.