battlement

American  

[bat-l-muhnt] / ˈbæt l mənt /

noun

1. Often battlements. a parapet or cresting, originally defensive but later usually decorative, consisting of a regular alternation of merlons and crenels; crenelation.

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battlement British  

/ ˈbætəlmənt /

noun

1. a parapet or wall with indentations or embrasures, originally for shooting through

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Other Word Forms

• battlemented
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of battlement

1275–1325; Middle English batelment < Middle French bataille battlement; see -ment

Explanation

A battlement is an extremely strong wall built to defend a city or castle from enemies while providing cover to defensive troops. The oldest known battlements were constructed in ancient Egypt. During the Middle Ages — and for thousands of years before that — battlements were one of the main defenses during war. They could take the form of separate walls surrounding a city, or be part of a building. In either case, they featured regular gaps or windows called crenels, through which defenders could fire weapons at advancing attackers. Battlement comes from the Old French bastille, "fortress."

Example Sentences

A gun sits atop a buried battlement under the flags, part of a vast underground network of German defenses.

From Seattle Times • May 15, 2019

But in the six decades that the Henderson Castle loomed over 16th Street NW, it was probably the city’s most impressive faux battlement.

From Washington Post • Dec. 9, 2017

Rigid, they seemed less bosom than battlement, and I wondered at my own inflexibility.

From The Guardian • Jun. 4, 2016

Their favorite part of the home is its roof terrace, located in one of the battlement towers.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 5, 2016

Yoren climbed the battlement beside the gate, his faded black cloak tied to a wooden staff.

From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin