Meaning of "fortress" in the English dictionary

ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD FORTRESS

From Old French forteresse, from Medieval Latin fortalitia, from Latin fortis strong.

Etymology is the study of the origin of words and their changes in structure and significance.

PRONUNCIATION OF FORTRESS

fortress  [ˈfɔːtrɪs]

GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF FORTRESS

Fortress is a verb and can also act as a noun.

A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

The verb is the part of the sentence that is conjugated and expresses action and state of being.

See the conjugation of the verb fortress in English.

WHAT DOES FORTRESS MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Fortification

Fortifications are military constructions or buildings designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and also used to solidify rule in a region during peace time. Humans have constructed defensive works for many thousands of years, in a variety of increasingly complex designs. The term is derived from the Latin fortis and facere. From very early history to modern times, walls have been a necessity for cities to survive in an ever changing world of invasion and conquest. Some settlements in the Indus Valley Civilization were the first cities to be fortified. In ancient Greece, large stone walls had been built in Mycenaean Greece, such as the ancient site of Mycenae. A Phrourion was a fortified collection of buildings being used as a military garrison and is the equivalent of the Roman castellum or English fortress. These construction mainly served the purpose of a watch tower, to guard certain roads, passes, and lands detrimental to the kingdom. Though smaller than a real fortress, these constructions acted as a border guard rather than a real strongpoint to watch and maintain the border.

Definition of fortress in the English dictionary

The first definition of fortress in the dictionary is a large fort or fortified town. Other definition of fortress is a place or source of refuge or support. Fortress is also to protect with or as if with a fortress.

CONJUGATION OF THE VERB TO FORTRESS

PRESENT

Present

I fortress

you fortress

he/she/it fortresses

we fortress

you fortress

they fortress

Present continuous

I am fortressing

you are fortressing

he/she/it is fortressing

we are fortressing

you are fortressing

they are fortressing

Present perfect

I have fortressed

you have fortressed

he/she/it has fortressed

we have fortressed

you have fortressed

they have fortressed

Present perfect continuous

I have been fortressing

you have been fortressing

he/she/it has been fortressing

we have been fortressing

you have been fortressing

they have been fortressing

Present tense is used to refer to circumstances that exist at the present time or over a period that includes the present time. The present perfect refers to past events, although it can be considered to denote primarily the resulting present situation rather than the events themselves.

PAST

Past

I fortressed

you fortressed

he/she/it fortressed

we fortressed

you fortressed

they fortressed

Past continuous

I was fortressing

you were fortressing

he/she/it was fortressing

we were fortressing

you were fortressing

they were fortressing

Past perfect

I had fortressed

you had fortressed

he/she/it had fortressed

we had fortressed

you had fortressed

they had fortressed

Past perfect continuous

I had been fortressing

you had been fortressing

he/she/it had been fortressing

we had been fortressing

you had been fortressing

they had been fortressing

Past tense forms express circumstances existing at some time in the past,

FUTURE

Future

I will fortress

you will fortress

he/she/it will fortress

we will fortress

you will fortress

they will fortress

Future continuous

I will be fortressing

you will be fortressing

he/she/it will be fortressing

we will be fortressing

you will be fortressing

they will be fortressing

Future perfect

I will have fortressed

you will have fortressed

he/she/it will have fortressed

we will have fortressed

you will have fortressed

they will have fortressed

Future perfect continuous

I will have been fortressing

you will have been fortressing

he/she/it will have been fortressing

we will have been fortressing

you will have been fortressing

they will have been fortressing

The future is used to express circumstances that will occur at a later time.

CONDITIONAL

Conditional

I would fortress

you would fortress

he/she/it would fortress

we would fortress

you would fortress

they would fortress

Conditional continuous

I would be fortressing

you would be fortressing

he/she/it would be fortressing

we would be fortressing

you would be fortressing

they would be fortressing

Conditional perfect

I would have fortress

you would have fortress

he/she/it would have fortress

we would have fortress

you would have fortress

they would have fortress

Conditional perfect continuous

I would have been fortressing

you would have been fortressing

he/she/it would have been fortressing

we would have been fortressing

you would have been fortressing

they would have been fortressing

Conditional or "future-in-the-past" tense refers to hypothetical or possible actions.

IMPERATIVE

Imperative

you fortress
we let´s fortress
you fortress

The imperative is used to form commands or requests.

NONFINITE VERB FORMS

Infinitive

to fortress

Past participle

fortressed

Present Participle

fortressing

Infinitive shows the action beyond temporal perspective. The present participle or gerund shows the action during the session. The past participle shows the action after completion.

SYNONYMS OF «FORTRESS»

The following words have a similar or identical meaning as «fortress» and belong to the same grammatical category.

synonyms of fortress

castle · citadel · fastness · fort · fortified pa · redoubt · stronghold

TRANSLATION OF FORTRESS

Find out the translation of fortress to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.

The translations of fortress from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «fortress» in English.

• Translator English - Chinese: 城堡
• Translator English - Spanish: fortaleza
• English: fortress
• Translator English - Hindi: किले
• Translator English - Arabic: قلعة
• Translator English - Russian: крепость
• Translator English - Portuguese: fortaleza
• Translator English - Bengali: দুর্গ
• Translator English - French: forteresse
• Translator English - Malay: Kubu
• Translator English - German: Festung
• Translator English - Japanese: 要塞
• Translator English - Korean: 요새
• Translator English - Javanese: Bèntèng
• Translator English - Vietnamese: pháo đài
• Translator English - Tamil: கோட்டை
• Translator English - Marathi: किल्ला
• Translator English - Turkish: kale
• Translator English - Italian: fortezza
• Translator English - Polish: twierdza
• Translator English - Ukrainian: фортеця
• Translator English - Romanian: cetatea
• Translator English - Greek: φρούριο
• Translator English - Afrikaans: vesting
• Translator English - Swedish: fästning
• Translator English - Norwegian: festning

10 QUOTES WITH «FORTRESS»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word fortress.

1

Jane Birkin

My distinguishing feature is the gap between my teeth. I had to wear a brace because my teeth used to stick out like guns from a fortress.

2

Kit Bond

I don't think anyone who has followed the progress of the Islamofascist terrorists who have threatened us believe we are going to be safe if we try a fortress mentality, to step back and say no one is going to hit us, they don't care about the United States. They do.

3

Michael Chabon

I was thinking, too, of Superman and his fortress of solitude.

4

Edward Coke

The home to everyone is to him his castle and fortress, as well for his defence against injury and violence, as for his repose.

5

Mahmoud Darwish

The Arabs are ready to accept a strong Israel with nuclear arms - all it has to do is open the gates of its fortress and make peace.

6

Jose Ortega y Gasset

In order to master the unruly torrent of life the learned man meditates, the poet quivers, and the political hero erects the fortress of his will.

7

Philip Gibbs

In front of us was not a line but a fortress position, twenty miles deep, entrenched and fortified, defended by masses of machine-gun posts and thousands of guns in a wide arc. No chance for cavalry!

8

Heinrich Himmler

I would like to give it a name: it is the great fortress of Europe.

9

Heinrich Himmler

It will undoubtedly happen, that the enemy will make the attempt, today, tomorrow or the next day, at some time, to break into this fortress of Europe at one point or another. That will undoubtedly be the case.

10

Heinrich Himmler

The fortress of Europe with its frontiers must be held and will be held too, as long as is necessary.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «FORTRESS»

Discover the use of fortress in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to fortress and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.

Digital Fortress

Contains a sneak preview of Inferno, Dan Brown's astonishing new Robert Langdon thriller.

Dan Brown, 2011

Getting Started with Dwarf Fortress: Learn to play the most ...

The trick is getting started. In this guide, Fortress geek Peter Tyson takes you through the basics of this menacing realm, and helps you overcome the formidable learning curve.

Peter Tyson, 2012

Marriage: A Fortress for Well-Being

Helps couples use spirituality in their everyday lives with the aim of strengthening their marriage. Original.

Baha'i Publishing, 2009

Fortress Besieged

In a classic novel set in middle-class Chinese society on the eve of the Sino-Japanese War, Fang-Hung-chien obtains a teaching position, using a degree from a fake American university, in a Chinese university--where the pseudo-intellectuals ...

Zhongshu Qian, 2004

Empty Fortress

Focusing on three case histories, the author attempts to reveal the problems and struggles of the autistic child

Bruno Bettelheim, 1967

Fortress

At school the morning bell rings.

Gabrielle Lord, 2011

A Mighty Fortress

Young Cayleb Ahrmahk has accomplished things few people could even dream of.

David Weber, 2011

Fortress

Lyrical approaches to the relationships between solitude, beauty and the world.

Brenda Hillman, 1989

Masada: The Last Fortress

As the Roman army marches inexorably across the Judean desert towards the fortress of Masada, Simon and his family and friends prepare, along with the rest of the Jewish Zealots, to fight and never surrender.

Gloria D. Miklowitz, 1999

Fortress Israel

Less an anatomy of institutions and administrations than a searching biographical study of the outsize personalities who headed its operations and in consequence steered Israel's course since its foundation, this book is a landmark in the ...

Patrick Tyler, 2012

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «FORTRESS»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term fortress is used in the context of the following news items.

Someone Made A Team Fortress 2 Dating Sim

The Team Fortress 2 dating sim is coming to us by way of Schiphys, who describes themself as, “a damn scientist who makes things on the ... «Kotaku, Jul 15»

Are cracks forming in fortress Alberta?

Alberta has been a conservative fortress for decades. Successive conservative parties (Progressive Conservatives, Reform, Canadian Alliance, ... «The Globe and Mail, Jul 15»

Fortress Investment Group Lowered to "Sell" at Zacks (FIG)

Fortress Investment Group LLC logo Zacks lowered shares of Fortress Investment Group (NYSE:FIG) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research report ... «Dakota Financial News, Jul 15»

The Ketamine Connection

The target? The village of Boshe, a drug haven known by local people as “The Fortress”. Before the raid, they thought Boshe was impenetrable. «BBC News, Jul 15»

How the Hawks built their Tasmanian fortress

With Launceston the focus of the footy world this weekend, we look at how a relationship with the Apple Isle has benefited the AFL premiers. «The New Daily, Jul 15»

Fan Uncovers Elaborate Team Fortress 2 Easter Egg

Reason number 437 I wish Valve would release more games: they're good at packing them with smart little things. (Warning: this post gets ... «Kotaku, Jul 15»

Team Fortress 2 might be getting another update very soon …

Team Fortress 2 got a fairly sizeable update earlier this year when the Gun Mettle campaign launched. In case you missed it, it's a three-month ... «games.on.net, Jul 15»

Where Fortress is Taking its Pure-Play Senior Housing REIT Next

With the backing of one of the nation's major investment groups, Fortress Investment Group (NYSE: FIG), and a previous foray into senior living ... «Senior Housing News, Jul 15»

Almost a fortress

Faris Ramli and Hafiz Abu Sujad celebrating the latter's equaliser, when a cut-back from outside the box by the former found its way via a ... «AsiaOne, Jul 15»

Fortress Hospital gives new hope to renal patients

However, more renal patients are set to benefit patients following the construction of a renal facility in Ruwa at the newly-renovated Fortress ... «NewsDay, Jul 15»