fortification

[fawr-tuh-fi-key-shuhn]

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noun

the act of fortifying or strengthening.
something that fortifies or protects.
the art or science of constructing defensive military works.

Often fortifications. military works constructed for the purpose of strengthening a position; a fort: Supposedly impregnable, the fortifications were quickly overrun.
a strengthening or improvement, as by addition of or intensification with another ingredient: the fortification of milk with vitamin D; the fortification of wine with alcohol.

Origin of fortification

1400–50; late Middle English < Late Latin fortificātiōn- (stem of fortificātiō), equivalent to fortificāt(us) fortified (see fortify, -ate¹) + -iōn- -ion

Related formsnon·for·ti·fi·ca·tion, nounre·for·ti·fi·ca·tion, noun

Synonyms for fortification

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4. fortress, citadel, stronghold, bulwark.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for fortification

barricade, reinforcement, fortress, citadel, wall, defense, fastness, support, bastion, battlement, barrier, buffer, consolidation, protection, outpost, fort, stronghold, parapet, bulwark, keep

Examples from the Web for fortification

Contemporary Examples of fortification

The first unambiguous evidence of fortification walls dates from around 4300 BC in what is now Turkey.
War! What Is It Good For? A Lot
Nick Romeo
August 13, 2014
In July this year, a government inspection warned of “failure of fortification work” and fined the company.
The Miners' Miracle Message
Dom Phillips
August 24, 2010

Historical Examples of fortification

For what was to come he required the fortification of dinner.
The Mystery of Murray Davenport
Robert Neilson Stephens
It was an enormous labor to construct this fortification in the dead of winter.
King Philip
John S. C. (John Stevens Cabot) Abbott
Instruction of the British farmer begins with the fortification of his will by confidence.
Another Sheaf
John Galsworthy
The palace is extensive, paled round with a sort of a fortification.
The Expedition to Borneo of H.M.S. Dido
Henry Keppel
He purchased and studied works on fortification and military strategy.
The Book-Hunter
John Hill Burton

British Dictionary definitions for fortification

fortification

noun

the act, art, or science of fortifying or strengthening
1. a wall, mound, etc, used to fortify a place
2. such works collectively
any place that can be militarily defended

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

Word Origin and History for fortification

early 15c., "strengthening," also "defensive earthworks, tower" (mid-15c.), from Middle French fortification "strengthening, fortification," from Late Latin fortificationem (nominative fortificatio), noun of action from past participle stem of fortificare (see fortify).