embrasure
[ em-brey-zher ]
/ ɛmˈbreɪ ʒər /
noun
(in fortification) an opening, as a loophole or crenel, through which missiles may be discharged.
Architecture. a splayed enlargement of a door or window toward the inner face of a wall.
Dentistry. the space between adjacent teeth.
Nearby words
embraceor, embracery, embracive, embranchment, embrangle, embrasure, embrittle, embrittlement, embrocate, embrocation, embroglio
Origin of embrasure
Related formsem·bra·sured, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for embrasure
British Dictionary definitions for embrasure
embrasure
/ (ɪmˈbreɪʒə) /
noun
fortifications an opening or indentation, as in a battlement, for shooting through
an opening forming a door or window, having splayed sides that increase the width of the opening in the interior
Derived Formsembrasured, adjective
Word Origin for embrasure
C18: from French, from obsolete embraser to widen, of uncertain origin
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for embrasure
embrasure
1702, from French embrasure (16c.), from Old French embraser "to cut at a slant, make a groove or furrow in a door or window," from en- "in" (see en- (1)) + braser "to cut at a slant."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Medicine definitions for embrasure
embrasure
[ ĕm-brā′zhər ]
n.
The sloped valley between two teeth.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.