casemate

English

Etymology

From French casemate, from Italian casamatta. Further origin unclear, could be a compound casa (“house”) +‎ matta (“mat (of straw), roof made of such material”), or borrowed from Greek χάσματα (chásmata) the plural of χάσμα (chásma, “gap”), presumably referring to the loopholes for shooting from.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkeɪsmeɪt/

Noun

casemate (plural casemates)

1. (military) A bombproof chamber, usually of masonry, in which cannon may be placed, to be fired through embrasures; or one capable of being used as a magazine, or for quartering troops.
2. (architecture) A hollow molding, chiefly in cornices.

Derived terms

• casemated

 

Translations

bombproof chamber as part of fortification

• Bulgarian: каземат m (kazemat)
• Catalan: casamata (ca) f
• Dutch: kazemat (nl)
• Finnish: kasematti (fi)
• French: casemate (fr) f
• German: Kasematte (de) f
• Italian: casamatta (it) f
• Polish: kazamata (pl) f
• Russian: казема́т (ru) m (kazemát)
• Spanish: casamata (es) f
• Swedish: kasematt (sv) c

Further reading

• “casemate”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.

Anagrams

• meatcase

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian casamatta.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kaz.mat/

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

casemate f (plural casemates)

1. pillbox, blockhouse

Further reading

• “casemate”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.