embrasure

[ em-brey-zher ]
/ ɛmˈbreɪ ʒər /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR embrasure ON THESAURUS.COM

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.

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Origin of embrasure

1695–1705; < French, equivalent to embras(er) to enlarge a window or door opening, make an embrasure (apparently the same v. as embraser to set on fire (see embrace2), though sense shift unclear) + -ure -ure

OTHER WORDS FROM embrasure

em·bra·sured, adjective

Words nearby embrasure

embraceor, embracery, embracive, embranchment, embrangle, embrasure, embrittle, embrittlement, embrocate, embrocation, embroglio
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to embrasure

incision, indentation, heart, cranny, hollow, dent, cubicle, depression, slot, angle, closet, cavity, nook, cell, crutch, fork, opening, alcove, cove, break

Example sentences 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 forms of embrasure

embrasured, 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 Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medical 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.