circumvallation

American  

[ser-kuhm-va-lay-shuhn] / ˌsər kəm væˈleɪ ʃən /

noun

circumvallations plural

1. the act or process of surrounding a position with a fortification, or circumvallating.

2. a fortification, especially one made of earth, surrounding an area for protection; rampart.

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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

• circumvallations
  plural

Example Sentences

The operations against the citadel proved far more severe and a far greater trial to Marlborough’s troops than those against the general circumvallation of the town.

From Malplaquet by Belloc, Hilaire

Indeed as she grew to a clear consciousness of herself and her position, it seemed to her he was not so much a circumstance as a circumvallation.

From The Wife of Sir Isaac Harman by Wells, H. G. (Herbert George)

Standing in the centre, you can see the rim in the long lines of circumvallation which meet the eye as it sweeps round the horizon.

From From the Lakes of Killarney to the Golden Horn by Field, Henry M. (Henry Martyn)

It is most certain that a woman's honour cannot be better entrenched than after this manner, in circle within circle, amidst such a variety of outworks and lines of circumvallation.

From Henry Esmond; The English Humourists; The Four Georges by Saintsbury, George

A deep moat filled with stagnant water and covered with green slime completely surrounded it, and the drawbridge which crossed the moat led up to a fortified palisade which formed a second line of circumvallation.

From Pretty Michal by Jókai, Mór