battlement
English edit
Etymology edit
From Middle English batilment, from Old French bataillement, earlier bastillement (“fortification”), from bastillier (“to fortify, to equip with battlements”), from bastille (“fortress”) (see bastion).
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
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 edit
- (sense, indented parapet) crenellation
Derived terms edit
Translations edit
indented parapet formed by a series of rising members
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References edit
- “battlement”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.