flèche

[ fleysh; French flesh ]

/ fleɪʃ; French flɛʃ /

noun, plural flè·ches [fley-shiz; French flesh] /ˈfleɪ ʃɪz; French flɛʃ/.

Architecture. a steeple or spire, especially one in the Gothic style, emerging from the ridge of a roof.

Fortification. a fieldwork consisting of two faces forming a salient angle with an open gorge.

Fencing. a method of attack with saber or épée in which the attacker leaves from the rear foot and advances rapidly toward the opponent.

Words nearby flèche

flyweight, flywheel, flywhisk, flânerie, flâneur, flèche, flèches d'amour, fléchette, flémalle, flügelhorn, fm

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. 2020

Examples from the Web for fleche

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

/ (fleɪʃ, flɛʃ) /

noun

Also called: spirelet a slender spire, esp over the intersection of the nave and transept ridges of a church roof

a pointed part of a fortification directed towards the attackers

fencing a short running attack

Word Origin for flèche

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