noun
bailey
BAY-lee
noun
1
The outer wall of a castle, or the open courtyard enclosed within it.
"Soldiers drilled in the bailey each morning before the castle gates opened."
2
An argument or claim that is hard to defend, in contrast with an easy-to-defend one — used in the phrase "motte and bailey."
"His extreme claim was the bailey he retreated from once challenged, hiding behind a much milder "motte" instead."
How to Use Bailey
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishHistorically, the walled courtyard of a castle; more recently, part of the "motte and bailey" term for a rhetorical trick of switching between a bold claim and a safer one.
Memory tip
You'll mostly meet this word today in the phrase "motte-and-bailey argument," describing a debating tactic.
Trace the full origin ↓Word Forms
baileys plural, Baileys plural, Baileys plural
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Soldiers drilled in the _____ each morning before the castle gates opened.
Etymology
From Old French baile ("palisade, enclosure"), from Latin bacula, plural of baculum ("stick, rod").