Barbican - Definitions from Dictionary.com

5 results for: Barbican

Browse Nearby Entries

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

bar·bi·can

Audio Help [bahr-bi-kuh

n] Pronunciation Key

–noun

1.	an outwork of a fortified place, as a castle.

2.	a defensive outpost of any sort.

Also, barbacan.

[Origin: 1250–1300; ME barbecan, barbican < OF barbacane or ML barbacana, perh. ≪ Pers bālāḥāna terrace over a roof, upper floor, altered by assoc. with L barba beard, a beard marking the front or face of a thing

]

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
Barbican

To learn more about Barbican visit Britannica.com

American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

bar·bi·can Audio Help (bär'bĭ-kən) Pronunciation Key
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).]

(Download Now or Buy the Book)

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
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").

WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This