abatis

[ ab-uh-tee, -tis, uh-bat-ee, uh-bat-is ]

/ ˈæb əˌti, -tɪs, əˈbæt i, əˈbæt ɪs /

noun, plural ab·a·tis [ab-uh-teez, uh-bat-eez] /ˈæb əˌtiz, əˈbæt iz/, ab·a·tis·es [ab-uh-tis-iz, uh-bat-uh-siz] /ˈæb əˌtɪs ɪz, əˈbæt ə sɪz/.

an obstacle or barricade of trees with bent or sharpened branches directed toward an enemy.

a barbed wire entanglement used as an obstacle or barricade against an enemy.

Nearby words

abat-jour, abatage, abate, abatement, abatic, abatis, abator, abattage, abattoir, abaxial, abaya

Origin of abatis

1760–70; < French; Old French abateis < Vulgar Latin *abatteticius, derivative of Old French abattre (see abate)

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for abatis

They reached the abatis and one man leaped on the breastworks before they fell back in bloody confusion.
The Southerner|Thomas Dixon
The fire was successful, though some few miraculously cleared the abatis.
The Life of a Regimental Officer|A. F. Mockler-Ferryman
Between these pits and the Fort were wire entanglements, running from stump to stump, and also an abatis.
The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 18, No. 105, July 1866|Various
The limbs had been trimmed and pointed, and thus formed an abatis in front of the greater part of the line.
Personal Memoirs of U. S. Grant, Complete|Ulysses S. Grant

They went over carefully that part of the works they had crossed, and the abatis in front, but could find no trace of him.
Si Klegg, Book 6 (of 6)|John McElroy

British Dictionary definitions for abatis

abatis

abattis

/ (ˈæbətɪs, ˈæbətiː) /

noun fortifications

a rampart of felled trees bound together placed with their branches outwards

a barbed-wire entanglement before a position

Word Origin for abatis

C18: from French, from abattre to fell

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012