castling

USKA-suh-ling/ˈkæsəlɪŋ/UKKAH-suh-ling/ˈkɑːsəlɪŋ/

Pluralcastlings (some meanings)

7 meanings of castling

1
noununcountable
A chess move where the king moves two squares toward a rook and the rook hops to the king's other side.
Like quickly moving your most important player into a safe corner during a game.
Castling early in the game helped protect her king behind a row of pawns.
He delayed castling until the rest of his pieces were ready.
Note
2
verb
Present participle of castle. Use this form for the move as it is happening.
She is castling now to move her king to safety.
By castling early, he kept his king out of trouble.
Note
3
noununcountable
In Japanese chess, the act of building a wall of pieces around the king to keep it safe.
Like building a small fort around your most important piece before the fight begins.
In shogi, castling keeps the king tucked safely behind its defenders.
Good players finish castling before they start attacking.
Note
4
USKAST-ling/ˈkæstlɪŋ/UKKAHST-ling/ˈkɑːstlɪŋ/
nouncountable
A small mold, or a tiny copy made using a mold.
Like a small mold that shapes soft material into little copies.
The jeweler poured wax into a castling to shape the tiny pendant.
Each castling produced a small, identical metal charm.
Similarminiature, replica
Note
5
USKAST-ling/ˈkæstlɪŋ/UKKAHST-ling/ˈkɑːstlɪŋ/
nouncountable
A thing or person that has been cast or thrown.
The little castling was set aside as soon as it cooled.
Workers gathered each castling from the floor of the foundry.
Similarcasting
Note

Less common meanings

6
USKAST-ling/ˈkæstlɪŋ/UKKAHST-ling/ˈkɑːstlɪŋ/
nounobsolete
A birth that happens too early, or the loss of an unborn baby.
Like a plant dropping its fruit before it is ripe.
The farmer feared a castling after the ewe fell ill.
A sudden castling left the mother weak for weeks.
Note
7
USKAST-ling/ˈkæstlɪŋ/UKKAHST-ling/ˈkɑːstlɪŋ/
nounobsolete
A second or third group of bees that leaves a hive in one season.
Like a smaller second group leaving home after the first big group has gone.
The beekeeper caught the castling before it flew off into the woods.
A late castling settled in the old apple tree.
Note

castling is a form of castle

castle, verb: In chess, to move your king two squares toward a rook and swing that rook to the king's far side. Full entry

Forms: castlecastles he/she/itcastling -ing formcastled past tense, past participle
Spelling: castle → castling: drop the e, add -ing

Practice

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Origins

Meanings 4–7

It comes from "cast" plus the ending "-ling".

Meanings 1–3

It comes from an older English word "castellinge", from the verb "castle" plus "-ing".