bulwark

English

WOTD – 19 May 2009

Etymology

From Middle English, from Middle Dutch bolwerk, bolwerc and Middle Low German bolwerk, equivalent to bole (“tree trunk”) +‎ work. Cognate with German Bollwerk, Danish bolværk, Dutch bolwerk. Doublet of boulevard (from French boulevard, from Dutch); cognate with Portuguese and Spanish baluarte and Italian baluardo.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈbʊl.wək/
• (US) enPR: bo͝ol'wərk, bo͝ol'wôrk, IPA^(key): /ˈbʊl.wɝk/, /ˈbʊl.wɔɹk/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Noun

bulwark (plural bulwarks)

1. A defensive wall or rampart.
2. A defense or safeguard.
   • (Can we date this quote by Blackstone and provide title, author's full name, and other details?)

     The royal navy of England hath ever been its greatest defence, […] the floating bulwark of our island.

3. A breakwater.
4. (nautical) The planking or plating along the sides of a nautical vessel above her gunwale that reduces the likelihood of seas washing over the gunwales and people being washed overboard.
5. (figuratively) Any means of defence or security.

Translations

defensive wall or rampart

• Arabic: حِصْن‎ (ar) m (ḥiṣn)
• Armenian: հողապատնեշ (hy) (hołapatneš), բաստիոն (hy) (bastion)
• Bulgarian: реду́т m (redút), бастио́н m (bastión)
• Catalan: baluard m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: please add this translation if you can

• Czech: val (cs) m
• Danish: bolværk (da) n
• Dutch: bolwerk (nl) n
• Esperanto: remparo
• Estonian: kaitsevall
• Finnish: paaluvarustus (fi); suojamuuri, suojavalli
• French: rempart (fr) m
• German: Bollwerk (de) n
• Hungarian: bástya (hu)
• Icelandic: bolvirki n, bolverk n
• Ido: remparo (io)

• Italian: baluardo (it) m
• Japanese: 堡塁 (ja) (hourui)
• Khmer: កំពែង (km) (kɑmpɛɛng)
• Kurdish:

  Sorani: سەنگەر‎ (ku) (senger)

• Latin: agger (la) m
• Maori: papatū, pākai
• Old Norse: bolvirki n
• Persian: بارو‎ (fa) (bâru)
• Polish: wał (pl) m, szaniec (pl) m
• Portuguese: baluarte (pt) m
• Russian: вал (ru) m (val), бастио́н (ru) m (bastión), реду́т (ru) m (redút)
• Scottish Gaelic: bàbhan m, mùr m
• Serbo-Croatian: grudobran (sh) m, branik (sh) m, bastion (sh) m, bedem (sh)
• Slovene: branik m
• Spanish: baluarte (es) m
• Swedish: bålverk (sv) n

defense or safeguard

• Arabic: please add this translation if you can
• Armenian: պատվար (hy) (patvar), պաշտպանություն (hy) (paštpanutʿyun)
• Bulgarian: опо́ра (bg) f (opóra), защи́та (bg) f (zaštíta)
• Catalan: baluard m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: please add this translation if you can

• Czech: záštita f
• Danish: bolværk (da) n
• Dutch: verschansing (nl) f, schans (nl) m or f
• Finnish: suojamuuri
• German: Bollwerk (de) n

• Hungarian: védelem (hu)
• Japanese: 藩屛 (hanpei)
• Khmer: ការការពារ (km) (kaa kaa pie)
• Kurdish:

  Sorani: سەنگەر‎ (ku) (senger)

• Macedonian: насип m (nasip)
• Persian: سنگر‎ (fa) (sangar)
• Portuguese: baluarte (pt) m
• Russian: опло́т (ru) m (oplót), защи́та (ru) f (zaščíta), опо́ра (ru) f (opóra)
• Spanish: baluarte (es) m

breakwater — see breakwater

nautical: planking or plating along the sides of a nautical vessel above her gunwale

• Bulgarian: фалшбо́рд m (falšbórd)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: please add this translation if you can

• Czech: hrazení n
• Danish: please add this translation if you can
• Dutch: verschansing (nl) f
• Esperanto: pavezo
• Finnish: lisälaita
• French: bastingage (fr)

• German: Schanzkleid (de) n
• Italian: impavesata (it) f
• Maori: rauawa
• Norman: boulevard m
• Portuguese: amurada (pt) f
• Russian: фальшбо́рт (ru) m (falʹšbórt)
• Serbo-Croatian: razma (sh) f
• Spanish: amurada (es) f

Verb

bulwark (third-person singular simple present bulwarks, present participle bulwarking, simple past and past participle bulwarked)

1. (transitive) To fortify something with a wall or rampart.
2. (transitive) To provide protection of defense for something.