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bulwarks' - 1 dictionary results
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bul·wark     (bŏŏl'wərk, -wôrk', bŭl'-)  Pronunciation Key 
n.  
  1. A wall or embankment raised as a defensive fortification; a rampart.
  2. Something serving as a defense or safeguard: "We have seen the necessity of the Union, as our bulwark against foreign danger" (James Madison).
  3. A breakwater.
  4. The part of a ship's side that is above the upper deck. Often used in the plural.
tr.v.   bul·warked, bul·wark·ing, bul·warks
  1. To fortify with a wall, embankment, or rampart.
  2. To provide defense or protection for.

[Middle English bulwerk, from Middle Dutch bolwerk, from Middle High German bolwerc : bole, plank; see bhel-2 in Indo-European roots + werc, work (from Old High German; see werg- in Indo-European roots).]
Synonyms: These nouns refer literally to structures used as a defense against attack. A bulwark can be a mound of earth, an embankment, or a wall-like fortification. Barricade usually implies hasty construction to meet an imminent threat. Breastwork denotes a low defensive wall, especially a temporary one hurriedly built. Earthwork is a defensive construction of earth. A rampart, the main defensive structure around a guarded place, is permanent, high, and broad. A bastion is a projecting section of a fortification from which defenders have a wide range of view and fire. Parapet applies to any low fortification, typically a wall atop a rampart. Of these words bulwark and bastion are the most frequently used to refer figuratively to something regarded as being a safeguard or a source of protection: "The only sure bulwark of continuing liberty is a government strong enough to protect the interests of the people, and a people strong enough and well enough informed to maintain its sovereign control over its government" (Franklin D. Roosevelt). A free press is one of the bastions of a democracy.

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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