BUILDING A FORTRESS

Sometimes, we come across words that are named after specific buildings, like morgue, capitol, and academy. On the contrary, Bastille is a specific building named after a type of building. Originally, the term could apply to any tower or fortified encampment, similar to its relative bastion. The term is derived from the thirteenth-century Old Occitan word bastida, meaning “fortress”, which in turn comes from the Old French verb bastir, meaning “to build”. This verb had various meanings, including “to sew”, “to prepare”, and “to baste” (the source of English baste). Ultimately, it traces back to a Proto-Germanic word with the same meaning of “to baste”.