English Online Dictionary. What means bailey? What does bailey mean?
English
Etymology
From Old French baile (“palisade, enclosure”), from Latin bacula, plural of baculum (“stick, rod”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈbeɪli/
- Rhymes: -eɪli
Noun
bailey (plural baileys)
- The outer wall of a feudal castle.
- The space immediately within the outer wall of a castle or fortress.
- (in certain proper names) A prison or court of justice.
- An argument which is controversial and more difficult to defend (in the context of a motte and bailey fallacy).
Derived terms
- motte and bailey
Translations
References
- “bailey”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.