The Latin word castra,A nominative plural noun of neuter gender. According to Lewis & Short, dictionary item linked in External links, General, either the singular or plural was used, castra with a possible meaning of "tents." with its singular castrum, was used by the ancient Romans to mean any building or plot of land reserved to or constructed for use as a military defensive position. As the word appears in both Oscan and Umbrian (dialects of Italic) as well as in Latin,According to Julius Pokorny, Indogermanisches Etymologisches Woerterbuch, page 586 under kes- (palatal k), Oscan castrous (genitive case) and Umbrian castruo, kastruvuf (nominative case) have the same original meaning as castrum, which was an estate, or tract of land. Not enough is known of Oscan and Umbrian culture to understand whether the word was a military reservation in their cultures, allowing the possibility that the Romans took their military practices partially or wholly from elsewhere or developed them, or

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castrum
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