FOR'TRESS, noun 1. Any fortified place; a fort; a castle; a strong hold; a place of defense or security. The English have a strong fortress on the rock of Gibraltar, or that rock is a fortress 2. Defense; safety; security; The Lord is my rock, and my fortress Psalms 18:2. FOR'TRESS, verb transitive To furnish with fortresses; to guard; to fortify.
Source: Webster's 1828 American Dictionary ↗ · public-domain · returned verbatim, no AI