fortresses
- 1Plural of fortress.
Medieval rulers built fortresses at river crossings to control trade and troop movements.
Wealthy families turned their homes into fortresses, with high walls and cameras at every gate.
Note
Nouns ending in -ss take -es, so fortress becomes fortresses, with an extra syllable at the end. The plural stretches easily beyond castles and walled towns to any place made secure, as when wealthy families turn their homes into fortresses. The same spelling also serves the verb, as in a ruler who fortresses the border towns, so the rest of the sentence shows which one is meant.
fortresses is a form of fortress
fortress, noun: A large, permanent fortified place, such as a fort or castle, sometimes including a town; more broadly, a stronghold or any place of defense or security. Full entry
- Forms
- fortressfortresses plural
- Spelling
- fortress → fortresses: add -es
- Sound
- The ending sounds like /ɪz/, an extra syllable.
Use it in a sentence
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