A large number of related transcripts makes some words difficult to understand. Especially in a situation where the term has long passed and it remained only on the pages of historical textbooks and in fiction. Contemporaries hardly remember: what are these “casemates”? And the exact purpose of the premises with this name is not known at all, although in many cities fortresses have still been preserved where you can personally look at an unusual phenomenon for residents of the 21st century.
European architecture
It's about buildings. The speaker implies some kind of strengthening hidden from the eyes. Located under the arches or in the depths of the structure. Two sources for borrowing into the Russian language are possible:
French casemate
Italian casamatto.
They are absolutely no different from each other, these are standard casemates. Such can be found on land and in ships. But what exactly is it about?
Protective functions
Initially, the term was used to indicate a defensive structure or building. It places soldiers, food supplies or ammunition so that a random bullet, bomb, or other fire projectile does no harm. In this case, the meaning of "casemates" is divided into two interpretations:
However, in the second half of the 19th century “floating fortresses” appeared. Massive ships were a serious adversary, but very vulnerable. To protect the crew and the interior, special armored compartments were built. There were placed guns, gunpowder and shells, as well as people serving the guns. The sailors called it casemates. In fact, the value has not changed much compared to the classic, although it has become narrowly focused, focused directly on the conduct of the battle.
Prison Options
When the huge fortified buildings ceased to be a necessity, the main residence of the aristocracy, it was necessary to come up with new tasks for them. And the prison functions were optimal for stone buildings: keeping the most dangerous criminals, political opponents, and potential witches. But unlike barracks and warehouses, in them casemates are solitary cells. Small lockers so that prisoners are as isolated as possible from accomplices and worthy citizens. Over time, people transferred the term from a specific room to the entire prison building in the form of vernacular.
Current use
The word has been preserved in its basic "land" meaning, as well as in a figurative one - to indicate places where a person feels unfree. It is pronounced both to indicate certain underground and / or dark passages, and in an ironic manner. But be careful not to offend the interlocutor by comparing the conditions provided to them with the prison ones.