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Bailey Common

Bailey has 7 different meanings across 2 categories:

Noun · Proper Noun

Definitions
Noun
1

United States singer (1918-1990)

"The legendary country music singer Bailey performed his final concert in Nashville before passing away in 1990."

2

English lexicographer who was the first to treat etymology consistently; his work was used as a reference by Samuel Johnson (died in 1742)

"The seventeenth-century scholar John Bailey is renowned as the first English lexicographer to treat etymology consistently, and his meticulous work served as a vital reference for Samuel Johnson."

3

the outer courtyard of a castle

"The knight stood in the bailey, waiting outside the main keep while the rain poured down."

4

the outer defensive wall that surrounds the outer courtyard of a castle

"The soldiers climbed over the broken bailey to repair the crumbling stone walls protecting the outer courtyard."

5

The outer wall of a feudal castle.

"The farmer harvested several bushels of crisp bailey apples from his orchard in upstate New York."

6

An apple cultivar from New York

In plain English: A bailey is an open courtyard surrounded by walls, typically found at old castles to serve as living space or storage for soldiers and supplies.

"The bailey filled with carts and horses was protected by high walls on three sides."

Proper Noun
1

An English occupational surname, from Anglo-Norman for a steward or official.

"The Bailey family has lived in the village since their ancestor arrived as a royal steward under the Norman kings."

Example Sentences
"The bailey filled with carts and horses was protected by high walls on three sides." noun
"The bailey was the enclosed courtyard within the medieval castle walls." noun
"She ran across the muddy bailey to reach the main gate before it closed." noun
"The old stone bailey held valuable records of the town's history for centuries." noun
Related Terms
Broader Terms (hypernyms)
court rampart

Origin

The word bailey comes from the Old French term baile, which originally meant a palisade or enclosure. This French word traces its roots back to the Latin bacula, meaning sticks or rods used for building such fences.

Rhyming Words
ley cley oley fley sley gley isley kiley foley coley holey wiley ailey atley obley utley agley edley oxley riley
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