Alamo

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A historical mission in San Antonio, Texas, serving as a notable site of a pivotal battle during the Texas Revolution
2. A fortification that was the location of a famous siege in 1836, now a symbol of resistance and Texan pride
3. A landmark representing a crucial moment in the struggle for independence, emblematic of bravery and sacrifice in American history

Etymology: The Alamo in San Antonio, Texas, takes its name from the Spanish word "álamo", meaning "poplar" or "cottonwood" tree. Spanish colonists gave the name to the mission church, and the fort-like complex that surrounded it came to be called by the same name, so the word's meaning in English today refers to the building rather than any tree. The Spanish word itself traces back to Arabic, where "al-ḥamra" or a related form was used for a kind of poplar, and it reached Spanish during the centuries of Moorish rule in the Iberian Peninsula. Its English relative is "elm", a doublet: both words descend from the same ancestor, one arriving through Spanish and the other through the Germanic branch of the family, which is why one name ended up for a fort in Texas and the other for a familiar shade tree.

Synonyms: fortress, stronghold