A small castle or fortified house; a variant spelling of 'chatelet' or diminutive fortress structure.
From Old French 'chatelet,' a diminutive form of 'château' (castle), using the '-et' suffix to mean 'small.' This French architectural term was sometimes borrowed into English texts.
The 'Chatelet' in Paris became famous as a fortress-prison, showing how even small fortified buildings could hold enormous power—Napoleon was threatened by it, and it shaped French history for centuries.
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