Chateaux

/ʃæˈtoʊz/ noun

Definition

The plural of château; multiple French-style castles or grand country houses with formal architecture and grounds.

Etymology

The traditional French plural of 'château,' retained in English when speaking about French buildings specifically. French plural forms retained in English show the language's respect for certain borrowed words' original forms.

Kelly Says

The fact that English has TWO acceptable plurals for this word ('chateaus' and 'chateaux') is endlessly amusing—it's like English can't decide if it wants to be English or French, so it allows both. Wine snobs probably use 'chateaux' while architects use 'chateaus.'

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