gabion

American  

[gey-bee-uhn] / ˈgeɪ bi ən /

noun

1. a cylinder of wickerwork filled with earth, used as a military defense.

2. a metal cylinder filled with stones and sunk in water, used in laying the foundations of a dam or jetty.

---

gabion British  

/ ˈɡeɪbɪən /

noun

1. a cylindrical metal container filled with stones, used in the construction of underwater foundations

2. a wickerwork basket filled with stones or earth, used (esp formerly) as part of a fortification

---

Etymology

Origin of gabion

1570–80; < Middle French: rough, two-handled basket < Italian gabbione, augmentative of gabbia cage < Latin cavea cavity, cage

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

gabion

There were the fiber-cement panels of the 1987 Ricola storage facility in Laufen, Switzerland, and the gabion walls, filled with stones, of the Dominus winery in the Napa Valley, completed a decade later.

From New York Times ● Jul. 7, 2023

These gabion walls will support the berms of soil along the approaches and won’t be visible to the wildlife, who will only see what appears to be a continuation of the hill, Rock said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 21, 2023

Along the way, gabion baskets were invited from the roadside into the garden, thanks to their rugged good looks.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 20, 2022

Students may also caution that Hesco has yet to face hard times: wars and floods have ensured demand for its moneymaker, the gabion that Heselden invented with his British Coal redundancy.

From The Guardian ● Oct. 17, 2010

Do you know," he went on excitedly, "that one night last October I killed forty-two ducks alone in this old gabion.

From A Village of Vagabonds by Smith, F. Berkeley (Frank Berkeley)