A tall tower built so that people standing at the top can see a long way and give warning of anything coming. You find them on castle walls, along old city walls, on the edges of prisons and army camps, at borders, and in forests where someone sits and looks for smoke. The whole point is height: from up there you see an enemy, a fire, or an escape long before anyone on the ground does.

A tall tower built so that people standing at the top can see a long way一座蓋得很高的塔，站在頂端的人可以看得很遠 and give warning of anything coming有東西靠近的時候可以發出警告。 You find them on castle walls, along old city walls你會在城堡的城牆上、古老的城牆邊看到它們 on the edges of prisons and army camps, at borders在監獄和軍營的邊緣、在邊境 and in forests where someone sits and looks for smoke還有在森林裡，有人坐著看有沒有煙。 The whole point is height重點就在於高度 from up there you see an enemy, a fire, or an escape long before anyone on the ground does站在上面，比地面上的人更早看到敵人、火災，或有人逃跑。

It is mostly a word about the past and about serious places — you would not call the observation deck of Taipei 101 a watchtower, because that is for tourists, not for warning. The word carries a slightly heavy feeling, of being guarded and being watched, which is why it turns up so often in stories about prisons and about war.

It is mostly a word about the past and about serious places這個字主要用在講過去和嚴肅的場所 you would not call the observation deck of Taipei 101 a watchtower你不會把台北101的觀景台叫做watchtower because that is for tourists, not for warning因為那是給觀光客看的，不是用來示警。 The word carries a slightly heavy feeling, of being guarded and being watched這個字帶著一種被看守、被監視的沉重感 which is why it turns up so often in stories about prisons and about war所以常常出現在講監獄和戰爭的故事裡。

Two things you may meet outside history: in video games, climbing a watchtower to reveal the map is a very familiar action; and 'The Watchtower' is the name of a well-known religious magazine, so a search for the word may bring that up first.

Two things you may meet outside history除了歷史意義，還有兩件事你可能會遇到 in video games, climbing a watchtower to reveal the map is a very familiar action在電玩裡，爬上watchtower解鎖地圖是很常見的動作 and 'The Watchtower' is the name of a well-known religious magazine而'The Watchtower'（守望台）是一本知名宗教雜誌的名字 so a search for the word may bring that up first所以搜尋這個字可能會先跳出那本雜誌。