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barbican

[ bahr-bi-kuhn ]
/ ˈbɑr bɪ kən /
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noun
an outwork of a fortified place, as a castle.
a defensive outpost of any sort.
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Also barbacan.

Origin of barbican

1250–1300; Middle English barbecan, barbican<Old French barbacane or Medieval Latin barbacana, perhaps ≪ Persian bālāḥāna terrace over a roof, upper floor, altered by association with Latin barbabeard, a beard marking the front or face of a thing
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use barbican in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for barbican (1 of 2)

barbican
/ (ˈbɑːbɪkən) /

noun
a walled outwork or tower to protect a gate or drawbridge of a fortification
a watchtower projecting from a fortification

Word Origin for barbican

C13: from Old French barbacane, from Medieval Latin barbacana, of unknown origin

British Dictionary definitions for barbican (2 of 2)

Barbican
/ (ˈbɑːbɪkən) /

noun
the Barbican a building complex in the City of London: includes residential developments and the Barbican Arts Centre (completed 1982) housing concert and exhibition halls, theatres, cinemas, etc
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
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