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flèche

[fleysh; French flesh]
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noun, plural flè·ches [fley-shiz; French flesh] /ˈfleɪ ʃɪz; French flɛʃ/.
  1. Architecture. a steeple or spire, especially one in the Gothic style, emerging from the ridge of a roof.
  2. Fortification. a fieldwork consisting of two faces forming a salient angle with an open gorge.
  3. Fencing. a method of attack with saber or épée in which the attacker leaves from the rear foot and advances rapidly toward the opponent.
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Origin of flèche

1700–10; < French: literally, arrow, probably < Germanic. Cf. fly1
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for fleche

Historical Examples

  • It was a strongly-built square redoubt, the entrance being protected by a fleche.

    Travels Through North America, v. 1-2

    Berhard Saxe-Weimar Eisenach

British Dictionary definitions for fleche

flèche

noun
  1. Also called: spirelet a slender spire, esp over the intersection of the nave and transept ridges of a church roof
  2. a pointed part of a fortification directed towards the attackers
  3. fencing a short running attack
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Word Origin

C18: from French: spire (literally: arrow), probably of Germanic origin; related to Middle Low German flieke long arrow
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