Maginot line

American  

[mazh-uh-noh, ma-zhee-noh] / ˈmæʒ əˌnoʊ, ma ʒiˈnoʊ /

noun

1. a zone of heavy defensive fortifications erected by France along its eastern border in the years preceding World War II, but outflanked in 1940 when the German army attacked through Belgium.

2. any elaborate line of defense or set of barriers.

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Maginot line British  

/ ˈmæʒɪˌnəʊ, maʒino /

noun

1. a line of fortifications built by France to defend its border with Germany prior to World War II; it proved ineffective against the German invasion

2. any line of defence in which blind confidence is placed

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Maginot line Cultural  

1. A chain of defensive fortifications built by France on its eastern border between World War I and World War II. The Maginot line was designed to stop any future invasion by Germany, but it was never completed. In World War II, the Germans conquered France by going around the Maginot line to the north.

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The expression Maginot mentality refers to any military strategy that is exclusively defensive and therefore flawed. It also refers to military planning that is aimed at the past. This way of thinking is sometimes referred to as “fighting the last war.”

Etymology

Origin of Maginot line

1925–30; after André Maginot (1877–1932), French minister of war

Example Sentences

All my signposts had gone up in one blinding, dizzying explosion: my second chances, my revenge, my nice thick anti-family Maginot line.

From The New Yorker • Sep. 26, 2016

Maginot line was ment to protect the Alsace-Lorraine, who already were the object of two conflicts with Germany.

From Economist • Sep. 23, 2012

Arquilla compared computer firewalls to the Maginot line – France's failed defence against Germany – and urged US state agencies and companies to use strong encryption and cloud computing to keep data on the move.

From The Guardian • Jul. 10, 2012

The Maginot line of forts scrupulously observes this demilitarized zone, on the theory that no one would be brash enough to attempt to invade France by way of Switzerland's Jura mountains.

From Time Magazine Archive

French engineers will help Belgium build a cheaper continuation of the Maginot line.

From Time Magazine Archive