Dictionary.com

cheval-de-frise

[ shuh-val-duh-freez ]
/ ʃəˈvæl dəˈfriz /
Save This Word!

noun, plural che·vaux-de-frise [shuh-voh-duh-freez]. /ʃəˈvoʊ dəˈfriz/. Usually chevaux-de-frise.
a portable obstacle, usually a sawhorse, covered with projecting spikes or barbed wire, for military use in closing a passage, breaking in a defensive wall, etc.
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?

Origin of cheval-de-frise

1680–90; <French; literally, horse of Friesland, so called because first used by Frisians
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use cheval-de-frise in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for cheval-de-frise

cheval-de-frise
/ (ʃəˌvældəˈfriːz) /

noun plural chevaux-de-frise (ʃəˌvəʊdəˈfriːz)
a portable barrier of spikes, sword blades, etc, used to obstruct the passage of cavalry
a row of spikes or broken glass set as an obstacle on top of a wall

Word Origin for cheval-de-frise

C17: from French, literally: horse from Friesland (where it was first used)
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
FEEDBACK