bulwark

English

WOTD – 19 May 2009

Wikipedia

Etymology

From Middle English, from Middle Dutch bolwerk, bolwerc and Middle Low German bolwerk, equivalent to bole +‎ work. Cognate with German Bollwerk, Danish bolværk, Dutch bolwerk. See also English boulevard (from French boulevard, from Dutch), 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.
   • Blackstone

     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.

Translations

a defensive wall or rampart

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

  Mandarin: please add this translation if you can

• Czech: val (cs) m
• Danish: bolværk n
• Dutch: bolwerk (nl) n
• Esperanto: remparo
• Finnish: 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

• Khmer: កំពែង (km) ‎(kɑmpɛɛng)
• Kurdish:

  Sorani: سه‌نگه‌ر (ku) ‎(sangar)

• Maori: papatū, pākai
• Old Norse: bolvirki n
• Persian: بارو (fa) ‎(bâru)
• Polish: please add this translation if you can
• 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

a 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)
• Czech: záštita f
• Dutch: verschansing f, schans (nl) m, f
• Finnish: suojaus
• German: Bollwerk (de) n
• Hungarian: védelem (hu)
• Khmer: ការការពារ (km) ‎(kaa kaa pie)

• Kurdish:

  Sorani: سه‌نگه‌ر (ku) ‎(sangar)

• 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

a breakwater

• Armenian: ծովապատնեշ (hy) ‎(covapatneš)
• Bulgarian: вълноло́м (bg) m ‎(vǎlnolóm)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 防波堤 (zh) ‎(fángbōdī)

• Czech: vlnolam m
• Dutch: golfbreker (nl) m
• Finnish: aallonmurtaja (fi)
• French: jetée (fr) f, brise-lames (fr) m
• German: Mole (de) f, Wellenbrecher m
• Hungarian: hullámtörő (hu)
• Irish: bábhún m

• Japanese: 防波堤 ‎(ぼうはてい, bōhatei)
• Khmer: ជញ្ជាំងការពារឆ្នេរសមុទ្រ ‎(cʊəñceang kaa pie cneɛ sa’mot)
• Macedonian: насип m ‎(nasip)
• Polish: falochron (pl) m
• Portuguese: quebra-mar m
• Russian: мол (ru) m ‎(mol), волноло́м (ru) m ‎(volnolóm), волноре́з (ru) m ‎(volnoréz), на́сыпь (ru) f ‎(násypʹ)
• Scottish Gaelic: doirlinn-fasgaidh m
• Serbo-Croatian: lukobran (sh) m
• Slovak: vlnolam m
• Ukrainian: хвилері́з m ‎(xvyleríz)

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

• Bulgarian: фалшбо́рд m ‎(falšbórd)
• Czech: hrazení n
• Dutch: verschansing f
• Finnish: lisälaita
• French: bastingage (fr)
• German: Schanzkleid 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.