château

noun

châ·​teau sha-ˈtō How to pronounce château (audio)
plural châteaus sha-ˈtōz How to pronounce château (audio) or châteaux sha-ˈtō(z) How to pronounce château (audio)
1
: a feudal castle or fortress in France
2
: a large country house : mansion
3
: a French vineyard estate

Examples of château in a Sentence

a gorgeous château on a hill
Recent Examples on the Web There, Ginori 1735 presented an exclusive collection remake from a Gio Ponti apprentice, complete with a party on the veranda of palatial chateau Badrutt’s Palace. Sofia Celeste, WWD, 3 Sep. 2019 That was for an 18th-century-style chateau at 7330 Baltusrol Lane in Quail Hollow. Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 5 June 2024 By the time the Stones recorded their 1972 album Exile on Main St. at a chateau in France, the couple regularly used hard drugs. Marissa Charles, Peoplemag, 2 May 2024 Where India Song’s Anna-Marie and her various colonial suitors move languidly and speechlessly through the chateau like ghosts, Jeanne Dielman is continually flittering between the chores of cooking, cleaning, and errand-running. Erik Morse, Vogue, 24 Apr. 2024 The Fontaines recorded it with producer James Ford in a Paris chateau over another month. Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 17 Apr. 2024 But that hasn’t stopped the release of new high-end bottles, as evidenced by a truly unique new expression from Maison Martell—a limited-edition blend that was aged in barrels made from 300-year-old oak inside a historic chateau. Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 23 Feb. 2024 They got married that same year in an intimate ceremony at their chateau in France but have since divorced and are in the midst of various legal battles. Alli Rosenbloom, CNN, 3 Mar. 2024 The ownership of one of the properties, Waddesdon Manor, built by Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild in the 1880s in the style of a French chateau, had already been transferred to the nonprofit National Trust in 1957. Alan Cowell, New York Times, 26 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'château.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

French, from Old French chastel, Latin castellum fortress

First Known Use

1720, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of château was in 1720

Dictionary Entries Near château

Cite this Entry

“Château.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ch%C3%A2teau. Accessed 27 Jun. 2024.

Kids Definition

château

noun
châ·​teau sha-ˈtō How to pronounce château (audio)
plural châteaus -ˈtōz How to pronounce château (audio) or châteaux -ˈtō(z) How to pronounce château (audio)
: a castle or a large country house especially in France
Etymology

French, from early French chastel "castle," from Latin castellum "fortress" — related to castle

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!