Caer
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{{for|the character in [[Irish mythology]]|Caer Ibormeith}}
{{for|the place in France|Caƫr}}
[[Image:Dinefwr Castle.jpg|thumb|300px|[[Dinefwr Castle]], 12th century]]
In the [[Welsh language]], '''caer''' means "fortress", "fort" or "citadel"/"castle". They were sometimes used as royal residences during the [[1st millennium]] AD or earlier. A ''caer'' might therefore be home to a king, his family, and his retinue.
At the same time, a caer was a defended fortress. They were often [[hill fort]]s, such as the hill fort at [[South Cadbury]] in [[Somerset]] (sometimes identified with [[Camelot]]), or coastal forts such as [[Tintagel]] in [[Cornwall]].
As an aside, Caer is the Welsh name for the city of [[Chester]], situated in northwest England. It also forms, as a prefix, the Welsh equivalent of -caster, -cester and -chester in [[Toponymy|place names]]. The English word derives from Latin ''castrum'' "fortified post", more common in the plural ''castra'' meaning "military camp" and is the equivalent of ''castell'' (castle) in Welsh. The word ''caer'' itself derives from the [[Brythonic]] word *''kagro-'', as does the word ''cae'' (modern Welsh for "field", i.e. an enclosed piece of land).<ref>''[[Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru]], vol. 1, p. 384.</ref>
==References==
<references/>
[[Category:Welsh words and phrases]]
[[Category:Welsh language]]
[[Category:History of Wales]]
[[Category:Placename etymologies]]