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 The chateau contains 20 rooms, while three others are in a fisherman’s house just above Théoule harbor, and the rest in a more modern Art Deco structure. Caitie Kelly Gisela Williams Camille Sojit Pejcha Lindsay Talbot Roxanne Fequiere Alexander Lobrano, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2024 The chateau’s Grand Cru vineyards cover 170 acres of gravely soil on top of limestone and silicate subsoils which offer excellent drainage. Mike Desimone and Jeff Jenssen, Robb Report, 7 Mar. 2024 The camera then pans to reveal some of the staff, including expert mixologists, chefs, event coordinators and more, who all came to the chateau for different reasons. Natalia Senanayake, Peoplemag, 5 Feb. 2024 Lisa Vanderpump expects nothing but perfection at her exclusive French chateau — but her staff members may have other ideas. Natalia Senanayake, Peoplemag, 5 Feb. 2024 Interestingly, Carter doesn’t know the exact build date of her chateau, since Agen’s records only date to 1810. Valentina Valentini, Condé Nast Traveler, 13 Nov. 2023 Back then, Benjamin was on a ghost-hunting expedition at a secluded French chateau with, among others, the British explorer Deverel Wishart. Sarah Weinman, New York Times, 12 Jan. 2024 Portland’s famous Belmont Goats visited the Blackberry Castle mansion in the city’s Forest Park neighborhood on July 23 and rumors started flying that the animals, rescued and cared for by volunteers, might be the next occupants of the French-style chateau that has been for sale since 2015. Jeastman, oregonlive, 2 Aug. 2023 The room feels like you’ve been transported to a French chateau. Emma Reynolds, Robb Report, 28 Dec. 2023

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 19 Mar. 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
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