means A tall, narrow structure that rises well above its surroundings, whether standing alone or built into a larger wall or building.

from From Old English 'torr' and reinforced by Old French 'tor,' both descending from Latin 'turris' — a word the Romans may themselves have borrowed from Greek 'tyrris,' likely an even older Mediterranean term for a fortified height. Wherever it first echoed, the meaning has held remarkably steady for millennia: something that reaches up.