Blockhouse definition | Dictionary.com

block⋅house

[blok-hous]

–noun, plural -hous⋅es [hou-ziz]

1.	Military. a fortified structure with ports or loopholes through which defenders may direct gunfire.

2.	Also called garrison house. (formerly) a building, usually of hewn timber and with a projecting upper story, having loopholes for musketry.

3.	a house built of squared logs.

4.	Rocketry. a structure near a launching site for rockets, generally made of heavily reinforced concrete, for housing and protecting personnel, electronic controls, and auxiliary apparatus before and during launching operations.

Origin:
1505–15; < MD blochuus, equiv. to bloc block + huus house

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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
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block·house (blŏk'hous') Pronunciation Key
n.

A military fortification constructed of sturdy material, such as concrete, and designed with ports for defensive firing or observation.
A heavily reinforced building used for launch operations of missiles and space launch vehicles.
A fort made of squared timbers with a projecting upper story.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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blockhouse
noun
a stronghold that is reinforced for protection from enemy fire; with apertures for defensive fire

WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
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Blockhouse

Block"house`\, n. [Block + house: cf. G. blockhaus.]

1. (Mil.) An edifice or structure of heavy timbers or logs for military defense, having its sides loopholed for musketry, and often an upper story projecting over the lower, or so placed upon it as to have its sides make an angle wit the sides of the lower story, thus enabling the defenders to fire downward, and in all directions; -- formerly much used in America and Germany.

2. A house of squared logs. [West. & South. U. S.]

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