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.

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Origin of abatis

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

Words nearby abatis

abasia-astasia, abat-jour, abatage, abate, abatement, abatis, abator, abattage, abattoir, abaxial, abaya
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for abatis

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