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

Word Origin and History for abatis

abatis

"defense made of felled trees," 1766, from French abatis, literally "things thrown down," from Old French abateis, from abattre "to beat down, throw down" (see abate).