from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
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.]
[1913 Webster]
1. (Feud. Fort.) A tower or an elevated work, used for the
defense, or in the siege, of a fortified place.
[1913 Webster]
The high bastiles . . . which overtopped the walls.
--Holland.
[1913 Webster]
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.
[1913 Webster]