bastion

noun

bas·tion | \ ˈbas-chən

Definition of bastion

1 : a projecting part of a fortification a bastion at each of the fort's five corners

2 : a fortified area or position bombing island bastions

3 : stronghold sense 2 the last bastion of academic standards — Amer. Scientist

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Did You Know?

Bastion is constructed of etymological building blocks that are very similar to those of "bastille" (a word now used as a general term for a prison, but probably best known as the name of the Parisian fortress-turned-prison stormed by an angry mob at the start of the French Revolution). The history of "bastion" can be traced through Middle French to the Old Italian verb bastire, which means "to build." "Bastille" descends from the Old Occitan verb "bastir," which also means "to build." "Bastir" and "bastire" are themselves of Germanic origin and akin to the Old High German word besten, meaning "to patch."

Examples of bastion in a Sentence

the rebel army retreated to its bastion in the mountains to regroup

Recent Examples on the Web

Nirvana and Pearl Jam, two bastions of the grunge sound, are enshrined. — Chuck Yarborough, cleveland.com, "Groundbreaking Alice in Chains ready to whip up some at Blossom gig with pals and co-headliners Korn," 12 Aug. 2019 In Greenwich, Democrats have made a historic inroads during the past two election cycles in the traditional GOP bastion, which was the childhood home of the late former President George H.W. Bush. — Neil Vigdor, courant.com, "Elections complaint filed by state GOP chairman against Greenwich anti-Trump group is dismissed," 7 June 2019 First Look Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Justice Clarence Thomas, a liberal icon and a conservative bastion, have balanced political disagreement with a genuine mutual regard. — Christian Science Monitor, "USA | Justice," 7 June 2019 Last week, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) appointed six Democratic members of a new committee tasked with modernizing Congress, which remains a bastion of wood fireplaces, parliamentary procedure and the occasional rotary phone. ... — Andrew Duehren, WSJ, "Lawmakers Vow to Modernize Congress, One Modem at a Time," 3 Feb. 2019 But as demographics shift, the geography is staying relatively the same: The Bible Belt still remains the bastion of the faithful. — Asher Fogle, Good Housekeeping, "Christianity Is Declining in the U.S.," 13 May 2015 Books and roses Parque Retiro is also a bastion for books. — Samantha Karlin, Washington Post, "In the heart of Madrid, a park for all seasons," 9 Aug. 2019 Never mind two devastating world wars; in the previous century, America was a bastion of the eugenics movement, which worked to prevent people deemed genetically unfit from reproducing -- by forced sterilization and other means. — David Holahan, USA TODAY, "'Gods of the Upper Air': How renegade anthropologists studied, celebrated 'the other'," 5 Aug. 2019 The publication and gallery reflected the grit and creativity of the neighborhood in the 1990s, when the East Village, not yet gentrified, was still a bastion of the avant-garde. — Colin Moynihan, New York Times, "Steve Cannon, Whose Townhouse Was an East Village Salon, Dies at 84," 16 July 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'bastion.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for bastion

borrowed from Middle French, borrowed from Italian bastione, from bastia "small quadrangular fortress" (from an Upper Italian counterpart to Tuscan bastita, from feminine past participle of bastire "to build," probably borrowed from Old Occitan bastir "to weave, build," or its Gallo-Romance ancestor) + -one, augmentative suffix (going back to Latin -ō, -ōn-, suffix of nouns denoting persons with a prominent feature) — more at bastille

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More Definitions for bastion

bastion

noun

English Language Learners Definition of bastion

: a place or system in which something (such as an old-fashioned idea) continues to survive

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bastion

Definition of bastion

Other Words from bastion

Synonyms for bastion

Did You Know?

Examples of bastion in a Sentence

First Known Use of bastion

History and Etymology for bastion

English Language Learners Definition of bastion

bastion

Definition of bastion

Other Words from bastion

Synonyms for bastion

Did You Know?

Examples of bastion in a Sentence

First Known Use of bastion

History and Etymology for bastion

English Language Learners Definition of bastion

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