A chateau is 1.) a French manor house with a corresponding lord of the manor 2.) an estate where wine is produced 3.) a large country house for nobility or gentry, lacking fortification. Chateau comes from the French word, château, which derives from the twelth century Old French word, chastel, meaning castle.
Usually, chateau is pluralized in the French manner, chateaux. However, it is also acceptable to pluralize chateau in the English manner, chateaus, as it is now a word that has been adopted into the English language.
Examples
Some Czechs have bought ruins of chateaus in the former Sudetenland and are slowly reconstructing them to revive the region called Czech Canada near the border with Austria, weekly Respekt out yesterday writes. (Prague Daily Monitor)
Located on Millionaire’s Mile in Hillsboro Beach, FL, this palatial 60,000-square-foot estate pays homage to the most legendary of chateaus — Versailles — with a circular, 26-foot, three-tier fountain, detailed with gold leaf. (Forbes)
Think sculptures of female nudes made of bullet casings, fake French chateaus and house prices that exceed $100 million. (The New York Observer)
Two years ago I wrote up the legendary 2010 Bordeaux, covering about 75 of the best-known chateaus. (The Kansas City Star)
He is married to his childhood sweetheart (Rachel McAdams), and they live with their daughter in a mansion bigger than most Loire chateaux. (The Economist)
Now you could buy your very own chateaux: Falling euro and high number of castles available to buy in France mean prices have dropped by half in some areas (The Daily Mail)
“Our route follows the Euro Velo 6 route, but we have added little detours, such as to markets or chateaux.” (Lincolnshire Echo)
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