crenel

[ kren-l ]
See synonyms for crenel on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. any of the open spaces between the merlons of a battlement.

  2. a crenature.

verb (used with object),cren·eled, cren·el·ing or (especially British) cren·elled, cren·el·ling.

Origin of crenel

1
1475–85; earlier creneul, crennel<Middle French, Old French, apparently diminutive of cren notch (attested since the 15th century), Old French cran, of uncertain origin; cf. crenate, cranny
  • Also cre·nelle [kri-nel]. /krɪˈnɛl/.

Words Nearby crenel

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use crenel in a sentence

  • Leaning into a crenel between two square merlons, Simon took a deep breath of the mild spring air.

  • And, turning aside, she motioned Gonzaga to the crenel she abandoned.

    Love-at-Arms | Raphael Sabatini

British Dictionary definitions for crenel

crenel

crenelle (krɪˈnɛl)

/ (ˈkrɛnəl) /


noun
  1. any of a set of openings formed in the top of a wall or parapet and having slanting sides, as in a battlement

  2. another name for crenation

Origin of crenel

1
C15: from Old French, literally: a little notch, from cren notch, from Late Latin crēna

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