Other forms: castellans
A castellan was the governor in charge of a castle. The castellan of the keep, appoint a castellan, the castellan's men.
The job was to hold the place for its lord, who was usually elsewhere, and it carried both military and legal authority over the surrounding land. The word survives mainly in history and in fiction, and the French chatelain is its living cousin.
1nouncastellanThe governor in charge of a castle.
“The king appointed a loyal knight as castellan to guard the fortress in his absence.”
castellan is an officer.
Latin castellanus means belonging to a castle, from castellum, a small fort, a diminutive of castrum, a camp.
Latin
castellanus — pertaining to a castle, an occupant of a castle, or a governor of a castle
Old French
castelain
Middle English
castelain
English, today
castellan
From Middle English castelain, from Old French castelain (compare modern châtelain), from Latin castellanus (“pertaining to a castle, an occupant of a castle, or a governor of a castle”), from castellum castle, citadel, diminutive of castrum fortified place. See castle. by surface analysis, castel + -an and castle + -an. a doublet of Castilian and castellano and castellanus and chatelain//chatelaine.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA