A variant spelling of 'Bastille,' the famous fortress-prison in Paris, or any fortified tower or stronghold.
From Old French 'bastille,' derived from 'baste' meaning fortress. The Bastille in Paris was built in the 14th century and became synonymous with tyranny and oppression.
The Bastille wasn't even a particularly brutal prison by 1789—it was symbolically demolished because it represented royal tyranny itself, not because conditions were especially horrible compared to other jails!
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