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The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 (gcide)

Tower \Tow"er\, n. [OE. tour,tor,tur, F. tour, L. turris; akin
to Gr. ?; cf. W. twr a tower, Ir. tor a castle, Gael. torr a
tower, castle. Cf. {Tor}, {Turret}.]
1. (Arch.)
(a) A mass of building standing alone and insulated,
usually higher than its diameter, but when of great
size not always of that proportion.
(b) A projection from a line of wall, as a fortification,
for purposes of defense, as a flanker, either or the
same height as the curtain wall or higher.
(c) A structure appended to a larger edifice for a special
purpose, as for a belfry, and then usually high in
proportion to its width and to the height of the rest
of the edifice; as, a church tower.
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2. A citadel; a fortress; hence, a defense.
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Thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower
from the enemy. --Ps. lxi. 3.
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3. A headdress of a high or towerlike form, fashionable about
the end of the seventeenth century and until 1715; also,
any high headdress.
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Lay trains of amorous intrigues
In towers, and curls, and periwigs. --Hudibras.
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4. High flight; elevation. [Obs.] --Johnson.
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{Gay Lussac's tower} (Chem.), a large tower or chamber used
in the sulphuric acid process, to absorb (by means of
concentrated acid) the spent nitrous fumes that they may
be returned to the Glover's tower to be reemployed. See
{Sulphuric acid}, under {Sulphuric}, and {Glover's tower},
below.

{Glover's tower} (Chem.), a large tower or chamber used in
the manufacture of sulphuric acid, to condense the crude
acid and to deliver concentrated acid charged with nitrous
fumes. These fumes, as a catalytic, effect the conversion
of sulphurous to sulphuric acid. See {Sulphuric acid},
under {Sulphuric}, and {Gay Lussac's tower}, above.

{Round tower}. See under {Round}, a.

{Shot tower}. See under {Shot}.

{Tower bastion} (Fort.), a bastion of masonry, often with
chambers beneath, built at an angle of the interior
polygon of some works.

{Tower mustard} (Bot.), the cruciferous plant {Arabis
perfoliata}.

{Tower of London}, a collection of buildings in the eastern
part of London, formerly containing a state prison, and
now used as an arsenal and repository of various objects
of public interest.
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Tower \Tow"er\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. {towered}; p. pr. & vb. n.
{towering}.]
To rise and overtop other objects; to be lofty or very high;
hence, to soar.
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On the other side an high rock towered still.
--Spenser.
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My lord protector's hawks do tower so well. --Shak.
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Tower \Tow"er\, v. t.
To soar into. [Obs.] --Milton.
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