bastion

First attested in 1562. From French bastion, from Old French bastille (“fortress”).

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈbæsti.ən/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈbæsti.ən/, /ˈbæst͡ʃən/

• Audio (US)

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• Audio (US)

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• Audio (AU)

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• Homophone: Bastian

bastion (plural bastions)

1. (architecture) A projecting part of a rampart or other fortification.
   • 1942, Emily Carr, “Beginnings”, in The Book of Small:

     […] Fort Camosun had swelled herself from being a little Hudson's Bay Fort, inside a stockade with bastions at the corners, into being the little town of Victoria, and the capital of British Columbia.

2. A well-fortified position; a stronghold or citadel.
3. (figuratively) A person, group, or thing, that strongly defends some principle.

   a bastion of hope

   the bastion of democracy

4. Any large prominence; something that resembles a bastion in size and form.
   • 1850, [Alfred, Lord Tennyson], In Memoriam, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC, Canto XV, page 24:

     […] yonder cloud
     That rises upward always higher,
     ⁠And onward drags a labouring breast,
     ⁠And topples round the dreary west,
     A looming bastion fringed with fire.

   • 1938, Norman Lindsay, Age of Consent, 1st Australian edition, Sydney, N.S.W.: Ure Smith, published 1962, →OCLC, page 32:

     It spread slowly up from the sea-rim, a welling upwards of pure white light, ghosting the beach with silver and drawing the grey bastions of sandstone out of formless space.

• bastille

bastion (third-person singular simple present bastions, present participle bastioning, simple past and past participle bastioned)

1. (transitive) To furnish with a bastion.

• Bostian, obtains, stiboan

Borrowed from Middle French bastion.

• IPA^(key): /ˌbɑs.tiˈɔn/

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• Hyphenation: bas‧ti‧on
• Rhymes: -ɔn

bastion n (plural bastions, diminutive bastionnetje n)

1. bastion; a projecting part of a rampart

   Synonym: bolwerk

Inherited from Middle French bastion, from Old French bastille (“fortress”) or Italian bastione. This etymology is incomplete. You can help Wiktionary by elaborating on the origins of this term. .

• IPA^(key): /bas.tjɔ̃/

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bastion m (plural bastions)

1. bastion
2. stronghold

• → Polish: bastion
• → Russian: бастион (bastion)
  • → Bulgarian: бастион (bastion)
  • → Georgian: ბასტიონი (basṭioni)

• “bastion”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

• snobait

From Italian bastione, via French bastion.

bastion m (definite singular bastionen, indefinite plural bastioner, definite plural bastionene)

1. a bastion (part of a fortification; also figurative)

• “bastion” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

From Italian bastione, via French bastion.

bastion m (definite singular bastionen, indefinite plural bastionar, definite plural bastionane)

1. a bastion (part of a fortification; also figurative)

• “bastion” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Borrowed from French bastion, from Old French bastille.

• IPA^(key): /ˈbas.tjɔn/

• Audio

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• Rhymes: -astjɔn
• Syllabification: bas‧tion

bastion m inan (diminutive bastionik)

1. (military) bastion, stronghold (place built to withstand attack)
2. (figuratively) bastion, stronghold (place of domination by, or refuge or survival of, a particular group or idea)

   Synonym: szaniec

3. (figuratively) bastion (person, group, or thing, that strongly defends some principle)

• bastion in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• bastion in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Borrowed from French bastion.

bastion n (plural bastioane)

1. stronghold

bastion c

1. bastion; a projecting part of a rampart