abatis
UK /ˈæbətiː/ · US /ˈæbətəs/ noun
Forms abatises abattis
- noun A means of defense formed by felled trees, or sometimes by bent trees, the ends of whose branches are sharpened and directed outwards, or against the enemy, and more recently fortified with barbed wire.
- noun (historical) In the Middle Ages, an officer of the stables who had the care of measuring out the provender; an avenor.
- noun In coal-mining, walls of cord-wood piled up crosswise to keep the underground roads open so as to secure ventilation.
Synonyms
Etymology
From French abatis, abattis (“mass of things beaten or cut down”), from abattre. See abate.
Webster’s 1913
- noun A means of defense formed by felled trees, the ends of whose branches are sharpened and directed outwards, or against the enemy.
Etymology [F. abatis, abattis, mass of things beaten or cut down, fr. abattre. See Abate.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “abatis”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details