bastide

from the Occitan bastida.A bastide originally had the meaning of a community agricultural exploitation. The word took on the meaning of a house during the 19th century. Most of the time, these houses were owned by Marseillais who used them as a place of residence and vacation. This word has been part of the French language at least since Louis XIV who declared: "We have noticed that the Marseillais greatly prized the pretty bastides. We wanted to have ours at the entrance of this great port" (read Fort Saint-Jean).