bai·ley

(bā′lē)

n. pl. bai·leys

1. A wall or palisade surrounding the structures protected by a medieval fort or castle, especially the outer wall of a castle.

2. The space enclosed by this wall.

[Middle English bailli, from Old French baille, probably from Latin bacula, pl. of baculum, log, stick; see bacillus.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

bailey

(ˈbeɪlɪ)

(Fortifications) the outermost wall or court of a castle

[C13: from Old French baille enclosed court, from bailler to enclose; see bail³]

Bailey

(ˈbeɪlɪ)

1. (Biography) David. born 1938, English photographer

2. (Biography) Nathan or Nathaniel. died 1742, English lexicographer: compiler of An Universal Etymological English Dictionary (1721–27)

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

bai•ley

(ˈbeɪ li)

n., pl. -leys.

1. the outer defense of a castle, comprising orig. a ditch and palisade surrounding the motte and later a wall or concentric walls surrounding the keep.

2. the space enclosed by a castle's outer wall or walls.

[1350–1400; Middle English bail(l)e < Old French]

Bai•ley

(ˈbeɪ li)

n.

Nathan or Nathaniel, died 1742, English lexicographer.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun	1.	Bailey - United States singer (1918-1990) Pearl Bailey, Pearl Mae Bailey
	2.	Bailey - English lexicographer who was the first to treat etymology consistently; his work was used as a reference by Samuel Johnson (died in 1742) Nathan Bailey, Nathaniel Bailey
	3.	bailey - the outer courtyard of a castle courtyard, court - an area wholly or partly surrounded by walls or buildings; "the house was built around an inner court"
	4.	bailey - the outer defensive wall that surrounds the outer courtyard of a castle bulwark, rampart, wall - an embankment built around a space for defensive purposes; "they stormed the ramparts of the city"; "they blew the trumpet and the walls came tumbling down"

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References in classic literature

"You know the Old Bailey, well, no doubt?" said one of the oldest of clerks to Jerry the messenger.

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I first heard of Pilkington from David, who had it from Oliver Bailey.

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As I wanted a trial scene in the Old Bailey, I chose the period of 1700 for my purpose; but being shamefully ignorant of my subject, and my husband confessing to little more knowledge than I possessed, a London bookseller was commissioned to send us everything he could procure bearing on Old Bailey trials.

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Two great tears rolled down Polly's cheeks, and Fanny wiped them away, feeling an intense desire to go West by the next train, wither Maria Bailey with a single look, and bring Tom back as a gift to Polly.

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I take her sternly from the side of Captain Bailey. He is wretched, I have no doubt; but he is nothing to me.

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'They shakes hands, and Jerry Moore says, "Is this a friend of yours, Bailey?" looking at me.

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Besides all this, he had read his Bible, including the apocryphal books; Poor Richard's Almanac, Taylor's Holy Living and Dying, The Pilgrim's Progress, with Bunyan's Life and Holy War, a great deal of Bailey's Dictionary, Valentine and Orson, and part of a History of Babylon, which Bartle Massey had lent him.

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There were law students who read "Noctes Ambrosianae," the 'Age of Reason', and Bailey's "Festus," as well as Blackstone's 'Commentaries;' and there was a public library in that village of six hundred people, small but very well selected, which was kept in one of the lawyers' offices, and was free to all.

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"Indeed, child, you should consult Bailey's Dictionary.

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Black was the mouth of Twynham Castle, though a pair of torches burning at the further end of the gateway cast a red glare over the outer bailey, and sent a dim, ruddy flicker through the rough-hewn arch, rising and falling with fitful brightness.

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Frederick Douglass was born in slavery as Fred- erick Augustus Washington Bailey near Easton in Talbot County, Maryland.

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All the time he was jerking out these phrases he was stumping up and down the tavern on his crutch, slapping tables with his hand, and giving such a show of excitement as would have convinced an Old Bailey judge or a Bow Street runner.

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