[MR] Fort or Castle?

[Edward Q. Hopkins]

Halloo!



Bryce noted:

 

  This fort (which is a perfectly period form of address

  for a castle) is a bargain under any 
circumstances.


Herveus replied:


Well, according to the OED, "fort", in the sense 
of a military

strongpoint, first appeared in English in the mid 
16th century.

"fortalice/fortalyce" appeared a century earlier 
with a substantially

similar meaning (and apparently in the same 
etymological tree as

"fortalezza".

If we *must* avoid the word "castle" (for some reason unknown to 
me), I prefer "fortress" to either "fort" or "fortalice", for the following 
reasons:


The OED says it appeared even earlier than "fortalice".
It doesn't sound like a form of lice that infests forts.
It's not obsolete, and yet 
it's not associated with American colonial or frontier stockades. 
It sounds like a feminine form of "fort", which suggests 
impregnability.
Alfredo el Bufon

Words are my fort.

--- guojia at earthlink.net 

 
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