battlement
English
Etymology
From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Old French bataillement, earlier bastillement (“fortification”), from bastillier (“to fortify, to equip with battlements”), from bastille (“fortress”) (see bastion).
Pronunciation
- Lua error in Module:parameters at line 360: Parameter 1 should be a valid language or etymology language code; the value "UK" is not valid. See WT:LOL and WT:LOL/E. IPA(key): [ˈbætəɫmənt]
Noun
battlement (plural battlements)
- In fortification: an indented parapet, formed by a series of rising members called cops or merlons, separated by openings called crenelles or embrasures, the soldier sheltering himself behind the merlon while he fires through the embrasure or through a loophole in the battlement.
- Any high wall for defense.
- (poetic) The towering roof of heaven.
Synonyms
- (sense, indented parapet) crenellation
Derived terms
Translations
indented parapet formed by a series of rising members
|
References
- “battlement”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.