I thought this is helpful...Especially for those writing for first time, those who are new to the Christian Fantasy Realm!

Any Castle not just medieval!

Definition of A Castle
Allure or Wall-walk: passage behind the parapet of a castle wall

Apse: circular or polygonal end of a tower or chapel

Arcading: rows of arches supported on columns, free-standing or attached to a wall (blind arcade)

Arrow Loop: A narrow vertical slit cut into a wall through which arrows could be fired from inside

Ashlar: blocks of smooth, squared stone of any kind

Bailey or Ward: courtyard within the walls of the castle

Ballista: engine resembling a crossbow, used in hurling missiles or large arrows

Barbican: an outwork or forward extension of a castle gateway

Barrel vault: semicircular roof of stone & timber

Bartizan: overhanging corner turret

Bastion: a small tower at the end of a curtain wall or in the middle of the outside wall

Battlement: a narrow wall built along the outer edge of the wall walk to protect soldiers against attack

Belfry: tall, movable wooden tower on wheels, used in sieges

Brattice: (see hoarding)

Buttery: room for the service of beverages

Concentric: having two sets of walls, one inside the other

Crenelation: a notched battlement made up of alternate crenels (openings) and merlons (square sawteeth)

Cross-wall: an internal dividing wall in a great tower

Curtain wall: a castle wall enclosing a courtyard

Cut: assault tower

Corbel: stone bracket projecting from a wall or corner to support a beam

Donjon: the inner stronghold (keep) of a castle

Drawbridge: a wooden bridge leading to a gateway, capable of being raised or lowered

Drum Tower: a round tower built into a wall

Dungeon: the jail, usually found in one of the towers

Enceinte: an enclosing wall, usually exterior, of a fortified place

Embrasure: the low segment of the altering high and low segments of a battlement

Escalade: scaling of a castle wall

Finial: a slender piece of stone used to decorate the tops of the merlons

Forebuilding: a projection in front of a keep or donjon, containing the stairs to the main entrance

Garderobe: latrine

Gate House: the complex of towers, bridges, and barriers built to protect each entrance through a castle or town wall

Hall: principal living quarters of a medieval castle or house

Hoarding: covered wooden gallery affixed to the top of the outside of a tower or curtain to defend the castle

Inner Ward or Inner Bailey: open area in the center of a castle

Keep: the inner stronghold of the castle

Loophole: slit in wall for light, air, or shooting through

Machicolation: a projection in the battlements of a wall with openings through which missiles could be dropped on besiegers

Mangonel: stone:throwing machine worked by torsion, used as a siege weapon against castles

Merlon: part of a battlement, the square "sawtooth" between crenels

Meurtriere: arrow loop, slit in battlement or wall to permit firing of arrows or for observation

Moat: a deep trench usually filled with water that surrounded a castle

Motte: an earthwork mound on which a castle was built

Murder Holes: a section between the main gate and a inner portcullis where arrows, rocks, and hot oil could be dropped from the roof though holes

Oilette: a round opening at the base of a loophole

Oriel or Oriel Window: projecting room on an upper floor, later an upper-floor bay window

Oubliette: a dungeon reached by a trap door

Palisade: a sturdy wooden fence built to enclose a site until a permanent stone wall could be constructed

Parapet: protective wall at the top of a fortification, around the outer side of the wall-walk

Portcullis: vertical sliding wooden grille shod with iron suspended in front of a gateway designed to protect the gate

Postern Gate: a secondary gate or door often located at the rear of the castle.

Putlog Hole: a hole intentionally left in the surface of a wall for insertion of a horizontal pole

Ram: battering ram

Revet: face with a layer of stone, stone slabs etc., for more strength. Some earth mottes were revetted with stone.

Sapping: undermining, as of a castle wall

Screens: wooden partition at the kitchen end of a hall, protecting a passage leading to the buttery, pantry, and kitchen

Solar: originally a room above ground level, but commonly applied to the great chamber or a private sitting room off the great hall

Springald: war engine of the catapult type, employing tension

Trebuchet: war engine developed in the Middle Ages employing counterpoise

Turning Bridge: a drawbridge that pivoted in the middle

Turret: a small tower rising above and resting on one of the main towers, usually used as a look out point

Wall Walk: the area along the tops of the walls from which soldiers could defend the castle

Ward: courtyard or bailey

Wow! This is very helpfull! Thank you lady Heather! =)

You're welcome....on the website that i got it from you can click on some of the words and the pictures would come up...like Trebuchet for an example if you clicked on the word then the picture would pop up showing you what it looks like...If you like i can put the web address on here. Let me know

Oh wow, this could be handy. Now I need an excuse to write about a castle again...

As someone new to the Fantasy writing realm, this could be super helpful. Thanks so much for posting this thread of overflowing knowledge.

Oh, awesome. 0.0

Wow. And I thought I knew my way around a castle. Definitely bookmarking.

ASDFGHJKL *pounce*

Thanks for this! I'm sure it will be quite useful...


Now I have an excuse to write about a castle again.

I can't believe I've only just found this! This is brilliant, Heather!