SINCE 1828

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

casbah

noun cas·bah \ ˈkaz-ˌbä , ˈkäz- \

variants: or Casbah or less commonly kasbah or Kasbah

Definition of casbah

1 : a North African castle or fortress

2 : the native section of a North African city

Recent Examples of casbah from the Web

The community’s salmon-pink palette was suggested by the rosy sandstone walls, and its hilltop clubhouse, introduced by a Middle Eastern-style water stair, was placed to overlook the villas like a casbah surveying so many riads.

— peter haldeman, New York Times, "California’s Marrakesh: A Country Club That’s Chic Again," 26 Apr. 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of casbah

French, from Arabic dialect qaṣba

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1844

See Words from the same year

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up casbah? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

WORD OF THE DAY

cathexis

play

investment of mental or emotional energy

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Casaubon

casava

casbah

cascabel

cascade

Test Your Vocabulary

Odd Habits and Quirks Quiz

Which of the following best describes an easily irritated person?

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

TAKE THE QUIZ

SCRABBLE® Sprint

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Words at Play

alt-5ade0f1ca7a0c

'Complement' vs. 'Compliment'

The distinction is clear (now).

Words from Letters in the Greek Alphabet

When English borrows from another alphabet

alt-5ada140ed3e28

'Preventive' or 'Preventative'?

alt-5ad8fc71357ed

Words We're Watching: 'Bluebeard,' the Verb

No, it's not a coiffure trend

Ask the Editors

2017 Word of the Year: Behind the Scenes

How we chose 'feminism'

video-title-words-of-the-year-1066

Words of the Year: 1066

Or, Why Pig Meat is Called 'Pork' and Cow Meat is Called 'Beef'

video-literally

Literally

How to use a word that (literally) drives some people nuts.

video-his-or-her

Is Singular 'They' a Better Choice?

The awkward case of 'his or her'

Word Games

Odd Habits and Quirks Quiz

Test your knowledge of strange human behaviors.

Take the quiz

cats-on-impossible-timber

More Confusing Words—Quiz

How many of these commonly confused words do you know?

Take the quiz

Spell It

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

Take the quiz

SCRABBLE® Sprint

SCRABBLE® Sprint

SCRABBLE® fans, sharpen your skills!

Play the game