abri

American  

[uh-bree, a-bree] / əˈbri, aˈbri /

noun

plural

abris

1. a shelter, especially a dugout.

2. Archaeology. a rock shelter formed by the overhang of a cliff and often containing prehistoric occupation deposits.

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abri British  

/ æˈbriː /

noun

1. a shelter or place of refuge, esp in wartime

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Etymology

Origin of abri

< French, Old French, noun derivative of abrier (now obsolete or dial.) to shelter, shield, screen < Late Latin aprīcāre to warm in the sun (hence, to shield from wind, cold, etc.), verbal derivative of Latin aprīcus sunny, warmed by the sunshine; Old French b for v perhaps < Old Provençal abriar, or by construal of a- as prefix

Example Sentences

Hind, a local resident, said the frequent water outages forced her and her family to rely solely on their reserves of abri - a corn-based drink usually consumed during Ramadan - to quench their thirst.

From BBC • Apr. 20, 2023

Instead, the raw rations were divided among the sections, and the men cooked them as best they could in their mess kits over the little stoves that were in each abri.

From Battery E in France 149th Field Artillery, Rainbow (42nd) Division by Kilner, Frederic R.

During one of these shelling spells, I reached cover of the road side abri and prepared to await clearer weather.

From "And they thought we wouldn't fight" by Gibbons, Floyd

There must be trenches somewhere, near,"—she nodded,—"they'll have left some wire-netting in an abri.

From Home Fires in France by Canfield, Dorothy

The abri to which we retired was about twenty-five feet long and eight feet wide, and had a door at either end.

From A Volunteer Poilu by Beston, Henry