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Barbican - 4 dictionary results
bar⋅bi⋅can
[bahr-bi-kuh
n] 
–noun
| 1. | an outwork of a fortified place, as a castle. |
| 2. | a defensive outpost of any sort. |
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Link To Barbican
| bar·bi·can (bär'bĭ-kən) n. A tower or other fortification on the approach to a castle or town, especially one at a gate or drawbridge. [Middle English, from Old French barbacane, from Medieval Latin barbacana, from Persian barbārkhān : barbār, guard (from Old Iranian *parivāraka-, protective; see wer-4 in Indo-European roots) + khān, house (from Middle Persian).] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Barbican
Bar"bi*can\, Barbacan \Bar"ba*can\, n. [OE. barbican, barbecan, F. barbacane, LL. barbacana, barbicana, of uncertain origin: cf. Ar. barbakh aqueduct, sewer. F. barbacane also means, an opening to let out water, loophole.]1. (Fort.) A tower or advanced work defending the entrance to a castle or city, as at a gate or bridge. It was often large and strong, having a ditch and drawbridge of its own. 2. An opening in the wall of a fortress, through which missiles were discharged upon an enemy.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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barbican
"outer fortification of a city or castle," 1300, from O.Fr. barbacane (12c.), a general Romanic word, perhaps from Arabic or Pers. (cf. bab-khanah "gate-house").
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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