Chateau
/ʃæˈtoʊ/
nounIntermediateCommonGeneral
Meaning
Question
Definitions
1
A large French country house, especially a stately one.
/ʃæˈtoʊ/
nounneutralIntermediate
General
A large French country house
The chateau was surrounded by beautiful vineyards.
💡 Simply: A fancy, big house in France, like a castle but usually not for fighting!
👶 For kids: A big, fancy house in France!
More Examples
2
They spent their honeymoon at a luxurious chateau in the south of France.
How It's Used
Tourism
"We toured the magnificent chateau in the Loire Valley."
Real Estate
"The chateau is on the market for several million euros."
From Old French chastel, from Vulgar Latin *castellum, diminutive of Latin castellum "fortified place", from castrum "camp, fort".
The word has been used to describe fortified residences since the Middle Ages, evolving into its current meaning of a grand country house.
Memory tip
Imagine a grand castle in the French countryside, that's a chateau.
Practice
chateauxchateu
Usage
10%Spoken
90%Written