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trou-de-loup

[trood-l-oo]
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noun, plural trous-de-loup [trood-l-oo] /ˌtrud lˈu/. Military.
  1. a conical or pyramidal pit with a pointed stake fixed vertically in the center, rows of which are dug in front of a fortification to hinder an enemy's approach, formerly used chiefly against cavalry.
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Origin of trou-de-loup

1780–90; < French: literally, wolf hole
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for trous-de-loup

Historical Examples

  • Beyond the two ditches, were trous-de-loup, or wolf-traps, from twenty to seventy feet apart.

    Cuba

    Arthur D. Hall

British Dictionary definitions for trous-de-loup

trous-de-loup

noun plural trous-de-loup (ˌtruːdəˈluː)
  1. military any of a series of conical-shaped pits with a stake fixed in the centre, formerly used as protection against enemy cavalry
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Word Origin

C18: from French, literally: wolf's holes
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