bailey

CEFRB2

/ˈbeɪli/

noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    The outer part of a castle or its defensive wall.

  2. 02

    noun

    Extra detail

    A prison or court of justice.

Examples

  • Fascism is the motte to capitalism's bailey.

  • Have you seen Bill Bailey?

At a glance

Sits at B2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
1
Citations
2

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

  1. The space immediately within the outer wall of a castle or fortress.

  2. The outer wall of a feudal castle.

  3. An argument which is controversial and more difficult to defend (in the context of a motte and bailey fallacy).

More examples

In context

  • the Old Bailey in London; the New Bailey in Manchester

  • "Birds are dinosaurs" is the bailey; "birds are more similar to dinosaurs than anything else" is the motte.

  • “I did not initiate, welcome, encourage, engage in, or learn from much less enjoy, [Adam] Bailey’s tirade. I did not base any part of any of my rulings on it, as Bailey has outlandishly, mistakenly, and defamatorily claimed,” Engoron wrote.

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The castle's outer wall enclosed a large open courtyard called the blank.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

From Old French baile (“palisade, enclosure”), from Latin bacula, plural of baculum (“stick, rod”).