Emily Dickinson Lexicon

FOR'TRESS, n. [Fr. forteresse; It. fortezza, from fort, forte, strong.]

1. Any fortified place; a fort; a castle; a strong hold; a place of defense or security. The English have a strong fortress on the rock of Gibraltar, or that rock is a fortress.
2. Defense; safety; security. The Lord is my rock, and my fortress. Ps. xviii.