Bastile \Bas*tile"\ Bastille \Bas*tille"\(b[.a]s*t[=e]l" or
   b[.a]s"t[-e]l; 277), n. [F. bastille fortress, OF. bastir to
   build, F. b[^a]tir.]
   
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   1. (Feud. Fort.) A tower or an elevated work, used for the
      defense, or in the siege, of a fortified place.
      
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            The high bastiles . . . which overtopped the walls.
                                                  --Holland.
      
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   2. "The Bastille", formerly a castle or fortress in Paris,
      used as a prison, especially for political offenders;
      hence, a rhetorical name for a prison.
      
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