tower
English · Français · Deutsch · Thesaurus
AI In plain words
Writing a short explanation…
Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.
tower¹
- /ˈtaʊ.ə(ɹ)/ UK
- [ˈtɑː(ə)] UK
- /ˈtuː.ɐ/ Northumbria, UK
- /ˈtaʊɚ/ US
Sounds like (tar-tire-tower merger) tar, tire, tyre · Rhymes with -aʊ.ə(ɹ)
Where it comes from
From Middle English tour, tur, tor, from Old English tūr, tor, torr ("tower; rock"; > English tor) and Old French tour, toer, tor; both from Latin turris (“a tower”), Ancient Greek τύρρις (túrrhis) (Hesychius), τύρσις (túrsis). Displaced native Middle English stepel for the general sense of "tower".
Compare Scots tour, towr, towre (“tower”), West Frisian toer (“tower”), Dutch toren (“tower”), German Turm (“tower”), Danish tårn (“tower”), Swedish torn (“tower”), Icelandic turn (“tower”), Welsh tŵr.
Doublet of tor, tourelle, and turret.
noun towers · towre
- A tall, narrow structure (significantly taller than it is wide, either standing alone or forming part of a larger structure. an observation tower, an isolated watch tower, a church tower, conning tower
- A very tall open-framed structure on which communications devices are installed. signal tower, radio tower, cell tower
- A similarly framed structure with a platform or enclosed area on top. observation tower, watch tower
- A control tower.
- A skyscraper. The Sears Tower
- An item of various kinds, such as a computer case, that is higher than it is wide.
- A strong refuge; a defence. Thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy.
- Each of a set of information technology concerns within a business, which are treated separately so that they can be handled by different providers. Suppliers compete separately for the towers and service integrator and management contract, which assists the government in the integration and operation of its services.
- The sixteenth named (trump or Major Arcana) card in many Tarot decks, usually deemed an ill omen.
- The nineteenth Lenormand card, representing structure, bureaucracy, stability and loneliness.
- A group of giraffes. Observe a tower of giraffes feeding on acacia leaves and oxpeckers combing giraffes' coats for parasites
- A metal stand used as a pivot to support a punty at a furnace.
- A tall fashionable headdress worn in the time of King William III and Queen Anne. Lay trains of amorous intrigues / In towers, and curls, and periwigs.
- High flight; elevation. Nigh in her sight The Bird of Jove, stoopt from his aerie tour, Two Birds of gayest plume before him drove.
Similar: donjon
tower²
Where it comes from
From Middle English touren, torren, torrien, from Old English *torrian, from the noun (see above).
verb towers · towering · towered · towre
- To be very tall; to reach a high height. The office block towered into the sky.
- To be high or lofty; to soar. My lord protector's hawks do tower so well.
- To soar into. Her state with oary feet; yet oft they quit The dank, and, rising on stiff pennons, tower The mid aerial sky
tower³
- /ˈtəʊ.ə(ɹ)/ UK
- /ˈtoʊ.əɹ/ US
noun towers · towre
- One who tows. But as the tower and towee reached the cross-roads again, another car, negligently driven, came round the corner, hit the Morris, and severed the tow rope, sending the unfortunate car back again into the shop window[…]
Tower⁴
proper noun Towers
- The Tower of London, especially seen as a place of imprisonment or punishment. Traitors should be sent to the Tower!
- A habitational surname.; Alternative form of Towers.
- A city in Saint Louis County, Minnesota, United States.
noun
- Denoting the system of weights used by the Saxon and Norman English kings in their minting of coins.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: pillar, column, loom, hulk, watch, time, circumference, circle, round, spin, watchtower, terminal, building, rack, monument, high-rise
noun
Similar: donjon
Translations
Every language
noun tall, narrow structure
| Español | torre, crochel, burche |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 탑 tap, 타워 tawo |
| 日本語 | 塔 tō, タワー tawā |
| 中文 | 塔樓 /塔楼 tǎlóu, 塔 tǎ, 樓閣 /楼阁 lóugé, 樓臺 /楼台 lóutái |
| हिन्दी | टावर ṭāvar, लाट lāṭ, अटारी aṭārī, बुर्ज burj |
| Kiswahili | mnara |
| Português | torre |
| Français | tour |
| Deutsch | Turm |
| Italiano | torre |
| Ελληνικά | πύργος pýrgos |
| Română | turn |
| Русский | ба́шня bášnja, вы́шка výška, ве́жа véža, те́рем térem, тура́ turá |
| Tiếng Việt | tháp |
| العربية | بُرْج burj |
| עברית | מִגְדָּל migdál |
noun (figuratively) any item that is higher than it is wide
| Español | torre |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | タワー tawā |
| Deutsch | Turm |
| Română | turlă, turn |
| Русский | ба́шня bášnja |
noun (cartomancy) The Tower (Tarot card)
| 한국어 | 탑 tap |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 塔 tō |
| Português | torre, casa de Deus, Casa de Deus |
| Français | la maison dieu |
| Deutsch | der Turm |
| Italiano | la torre, il fulmine |
name Tower of London
| 中文 | 倫敦塔 /伦敦塔 Lūndūntǎ |
|---|
Talk about this word "tower." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/tower. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. tower. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/tower "tower." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/tower.Cite this
@misc{tower_2026,
title = {tower},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/tower},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
